Forgotten Books Friday: Cap Kennedy

First, I forgot to mention this earlier in the week. One of my Halloween Horror flash stories has been published in slightly altered form over at Micro 100. It’s in Issue 2, February 09. It’s only 130 words so pop over if you’re a mind to. There are also some other good flash stories in the issue as well.


Cap Kennedy: Steely eyed. Steely jawed. Secret Agent of the Spaceways.

I never heard of the Cap Kennedy space opera series until about three years ago when I picked up three volumes from the now missing and highly missed used SF bookstore in the New Orleans French Quarter. The series began in 1973 with Galaxy of the Lost, and, as near as I can tell, ended with #17, Galactiad. The majority of the books were published one right after another from 1973 to 1975. That’s 16 books in two years. The last book wasn’t published until 1983, a eight year gap, and so far I haven’t been able to find out why.

The photo shows a variety selection of the books. (I borrowed this photo from Bonanzle, btw, and since I included their link I hope they won’t mind.) I kind of like some of these covers, although they have a certain heavy handedness to them. Still, the colors and bold strokes are vibrant and draw the eye.

The author listed on the covers for the series is Gregory Kern, who I’ve found out is really E. C. Tubb. I believe Tubb wrote all of them, though I’m not absolutely sure. Eight books a year is a pretty hefty output for one writer, although the books are very short, no longer than 125-126 pages. The publisher is DAW, and it looks as if they were striving for a Perry Rhodan type series. I’ve now read three volumes and liked them well enough to order more, and the series does a good job of producing readable space opera. It’s not as fantastic as the Perry Rhodan series, but the books are consistently fast paced and readable. Tubb was a pretty good writer. I’ve also liked his Dumarest of Terra series, under his own name.

The plots of the Cap Kennedy books are not exactly new, although they were fresher in the 1970s than they would be today. In Cap Kennedy #1, ships are disappearing in a Bermuda Triangle of the space lanes. Cap and his crew of operatives must investigate, and Cap himself gets caught up by the mystery when the ship he is on disappears as well.

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. I was completely caught up in the story and I liked the characters, though they are drawn with broad strokes. I did find the ending somewhat disappointing. It came too abruptly and didn’t adequately explore the mystery that had been set up. Tubb may have been laboring under some serious time and length constraints from the publisher, however.

I just finished book 3 of the series, Monster of Metelaze, and it was also pretty decent. If you need a fast paced space opera fix, Cap Kennedy might be for you. I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read, although I wouldn’t want to go on a binge. Judiciously mixing them with other types of books seems to be the ticket.

NOTE 1: Forgotten Books Friday is the brainchild of Patricia Abbott. Sadly, Patti lost her mother on Wednesday. Please wish her well.

Note 2: Two other of our blog colleagues have suffered grave losses in the past few days as well. Scott Hall lost his grandmother, and Bernita Harris lost her husband. Laughingwolf lost his father a year ago this week.

It's been a rather tough week. Let's all send our good thoughts in their direction.
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I haven't eaten in three days.

A month or so back, as I was going into Borders one Monday evening, a woman approached me with: “Sir. I wonder if you could help me? I haven’t eaten in three days.” I gave her a few bucks and she thanked me and said: “I’m going right over to get something to eat.”

Last night as I was going into Borders, the same woman approached with the exact same spiel. I remember clearly the “I haven’t eaten in three days” and the “going right over to get something.” I gave her a few bucks, even though I realized I had been played a bit. I suppose “haven’t eaten in three days” can be effective, and I felt bad for the fact that she had to stoop to such in the search for money. She was certainly no spring chicken. She looked around 60, but I suspect she is younger. Her clothes were not remarkably bad, and though she was thin she didn’t look to be in bad health. She was certainly not attractive, though.

In the past, I have taken people into food places when they’ve asked for money, but the closest place to Borders is the Mall across the street, and I also had a meeting of my Borders writing group in a few minutes. So, I gave her a few bucks and let her go her way. I wonder if she really bought food, or if I actually supported her drug habit. I hope the former.

Such encounters leave me sad. What circumstances led that woman to me twice? I believe some homeless individuals are on the street because they’re lazy or they have drug habits that they’ve allowed to get out of hand. I believe those folks are in the minority, though. Maybe some homeless people made bad choices somewhere along the way. But who hasn't? It's a shame that so many can end up lost in what is still an affluent society.

And as for getting help, research on altruistic behavior does not endear my fellow humans to me. Many, many people do help, of course. But most of that is in a form that doesn't much inconvenience us. And it bothers me to know that people are less likely to help another person if:

1. The person needing help is physically unattractive

2. The person has any unpleasant physical characteristics, even including an ugly birthmark.

3. The person appears to be intoxicated with any substance.

4. the surroundings in which the person asks for help are unpleasant. (Very noisy, for example.)


5. The person in the position to offer help is under any time pressure.

6. The person in the position to help is in a bad mood.

Years ago, I was in Boston with a colleague of mine for a neuroscience conference. We were riding the city busses one night when a woman got on mumbling incoherently to herself. She had also clearly wet herself all down the front of her jeans.

After a couple of stops, the woman got up to leave and fell down the steps, ending up half in and half out of the bus. Besides the bus driver, there were about 15 people on the bus. No one moved. After a moment, my colleague and I both got up to help her. We got her to a bench at the bus stop and made sure she was sitting OK, and gave her back her large shopping bag full of what appeared to be trash. Then we returned to our bus and resumed our lives. I’ve wondered many times over the years what happened to her. I can’t imagine she’s still alive.

I wonder, too, how long the woman who hadn’t “eaten in three days” will last? Will I see her again in a month? Or sooner? If I don’t see her, will it mean she’s doing better? Or that’s she’s dead?

Twice now, we’ve met. She’s become one of my memories. Like it or not, she’s a part of me now. It’s harder to be blind when you can put a face on suffering.
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High Noon: Contest Winners

High Noon. Or thereabouts. The stage arrives from Abita Springs, the horses lathered from a hard run. Josh Gramlich is driving; Arkansas Slim rides shotgun. They pull to a halt in front of the Lana Branch Saloon and Slim grabs the iron strongbox and leaps down to the street, his boots kicking up puffs of dust. A crowd begins to gather.

Hitching his gun belt higher, Slim carries the strongbox into the saloon and plunks it down on the bar with a loud jingle. Everyone follows, and a murmur builds among the people as the handsome and slender Slim first wets his whistle from a cold, foaming glass of beer.

“All right, pawdners,” Slim intones, then belches before continuing. “The winners of the Strange Worlds Contest are right chere in this box. But I’m afraid I don’t have the key. Only one lady carries the key to this here padlock. And to my heart."

“And who would that be, Handsome Slim?” a bell-sweet voice calls out from the stairs.

Slim breaks into his patented killer smile and doffs his hat to execute a bow before the Lovely Lana, the proprietress of the Lana Branch and the most beauteous woman in the territories.

“Why you, Lovely Lana,” Slim says. “Bring yoreself on down here and open up this box.”

The Lovely Lana sashays down the stairs in her scarlet saloon gal dress and drifts up to Slim where he stands by the bar. She reaches into the glory of her hair and draws out a key, which just happens to fit the lock of the strongbox. She opens it, pushes up the lid, then steps back a bit as Slim reaches in and pulls out: some gold coins, which he tosses aside like so much trash, some black diamonds, which he tosses aside, some bundles of greenbacks, which he tosses aside.

“Tarnation,” he says. “I know they’se here somewhere.”

He pulls out some rubies, then a few emeralds, and throws ‘em aside. But finally, nestled beneath a pile of silver ingots, he finds the two slips of paper he is looking for. These he draws slowly out as if they are worth a whole bunch more than their weight in platinum.

He looks at the gathered throng, all 43 of them. “Thanks to everyone who entered the Strange Worlds Contest,” he says. “It’s time to announce the winners. I appreciate everyone’s patience, so without further ado, the winners are:
Donnetta Lee.
Avery DeBow.

If Donnetta and Avery will send me their addresses at kainja at hotmail dot com, I’ll get yore books ready for the Pony Express to deliver right away.

Yippe ki yay.”
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Writer or Actor

I’ve never wanted to be an actor. Except… I’ve always secretly harbored a desire to appear in a western movie, preferably as a gunfighter. Thus, you see why at age 50 I’ve strapped on my shootin’ iron and had Lana take pictures of me as Arkansas Slim. I feel like a goof, but it’s good fun. (No comments about the “slim” part.)

I’ve realized, though, that being a writer is something like being an actor. Our characters are our roles. We inhabit them. We try to bring them to life. Our stories live and die, as do movies, on the ability of our characters to carry the tale. Maybe some readers won’t notice if we give short shrift to our characters as long as we fill our stories with action. But we’ll notice. If we’re in the skins of our characters in the way good actors put on their roles, we’ll know when we “make” the character do something instead of watching them respond in ways natural to them.

If they want to be gunfighters you have to let ‘em.

I also apologize for letting the Strange Worlds Contest drag on. Work has just been crazy. If you haven’t entered to win a free book yet, please do so here. I’m going to close the contest at midnight central standard time on Saturday, January 30. And since I’ve made everyone wait so long I’m going to pick two winners for free books.

Good luck!

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Who Are You Trying to Impress 4

Thanks to everyone who has managed to stay with me through this series, and who have thrown in their two cents. I do think my points have been misunderstood on occasion. My whole focus is on knowing your audience. I’m not saying that using words like argent or lavender is pretentious. Far from it. I’m saying that some audiences will care and others won’t. I’m not indicating that one of those audiences is somehow better than the other, only that they are different. And I’m not saying that there isn’t a market for fine writing. I sure hope there is. I’m saying that different kinds of writing are directed toward different audiences. I’m not trying to indicate that one of those audiences is somehow superior to another. Anyway, here are my closing thoughts on the topic, though such thoughts are always subject to revision.

First, a writer doesn’t have to pick one audience to write for. They may write different things for different audiences. Jack London wrote work directed at the most literate of readers and also churned out potboilers to make money. And, a writer may in fact write for more than one audience at the same time. I think a lot of writers write for readers but also find they have to please themselves first. And, as several folks have pointed out, the readers we writers have the most experience with is ourselves, so if we’re writing for “readers” we often use ourselves as a model. We could easily have two audiences, which don’t have to be incompatible.

Second, writers can, over time, change the audience they are directing work toward. When I wrote Swords of Talera it really was for myself. Although in the back of my mind I had some thoughts about becoming a published author, I never gave a single thought to audience in the first go through of that book. I wrote it purely and simply because it was fun for me and I wanted to know what happened next. As a result, it rambled. When I rewrote it in an attempt to published it, I took out the rambling parts and tried to focus primarily on the story, because I felt that was what the reader wanted. My main audience was no longer myself, although I still wanted to please myself too.

When I wrote Cold in the Light, I tried to keep the “reader” in mind every step of the way as far as story and action went, but I personally adore beautiful language so I tried to keep the prose at a little bit of an elevated level, both for myself and for my writer peers. But I’ll tell you honestly that when I wrote that book I wanted readers, as many as I could possible get. (I didn’t get nearly as many as I wanted.)

Wings over Talera was a hybrid. I wrote the first chapters right after finishing “Swords,” and it was still written solely for myself. But after “Swords” was serialized and I went to finish “Wings,” I tried to keep in mind the readers from the magazine who had liked “Swords.” I wanted those same readers to be happy with the new book. I knew that readers outside of fantasy probably wouldn't care.

Witch of Talera was written, from the first, for readers, the same folks who had enjoyed the previous ones in the series. Of course, I wanted to please myself as well, but I wanted, needed perhaps, to hear people tell me they really liked that book. I’ll tell you, for me, it is truly a great feeling to hear someone say they spent some of their precious time reading a story that I’ve written, and that they liked it. And I’d much rather have that than have a critic discuss the deeper meaning of my prose. The most wondrous gift that any book could give me as a kid was to fire my imagination. And that’s exactly the gift I’d like to give to others.

So who do I write for? Not for critics at all. And not so much for peers, except for the fact that I am one of those peers. I have to please myself in any writing project, or else I can’t go forward. But because I really want to be “read,” I can’t say that I’m writing primarily for myself. My main audience is the kind of reader who likes to read the same stuff I do. And I’d like to have a lot of them. Unfortunately, many readers just aren’t going to like the genres I like so I limit my potential audience by that very fact. Any time you select an audience there are likely to be tradeoffs. In writing, I don’t think you can have it all.

So, some of you have already answered the question of who you write for, but if you’d like to share feel free. And even if you don’t want to tell me, I think you should always tell yourself.
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Who are you Trying to Impress 3

I’ve had folks tell me over the years that they write just for themselves. Some of these individuals have even been in writing groups with me. The fact that they were in a writing group made me think they were not writing “strictly” for themselves. They were sharing stuff and taking comments. That, to me, means that they wanted their writing to connect with others. If someone were writing only for his or her own pleasure, how would anyone else ever find out? Except, perhaps, by accident.

There’s nothing at all wrong with writing for yourself. In fact, I believe this is the purest of all motives. I just can’t believe that most writing folks honestly don’t care whether they are read or not. If you’re putting it out in any public forum, I think you want someone to read it.

It hardly needs to be said that writing truly for one’s self will not earn you any money, except, perhaps, by the sheerest freak of an accident.

On the other hand, those who write for “readers” have the best chance to make truly huge sums of money. The lucky ones will be able to buy and sell the champion money makers from the other three types. But money is only one motive for those who write for readers, and often not the primary motive. These writers often say they want to “entertain.”

Writers who write to impress readers avoid fancy language. They use a simple, everyday vocabulary and mostly short sentences devoid of adornment. They keep the focus off their style and on the story. They may strive to be largely invisible to the reader. Although they don’t necessarily shirk character development, their characters often serve the needs of the story more clearly than the needs of the characters themselves. This often means that the characters are sketched more broadly than in fiction directed toward critics or other writers. These writers also make strong use of action and often utilize cliffhangers.

Again, there is nothing wrong with writing for readers. Some might even say this is the primary audience toward which all writing should be directed.

For my next, and final post in this series, I’ll make some closing comments concerning the four types of audiences, and will tell you how I feel about them. And will reveal who I write for.
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Who are you Trying to Impress 2

Last post, I argued that some writers strive to impress the critics. Other writers write primarily to impress their peers. In practice, I see this most often in writers who join critique groups populated by other authors. I’ve been in a few myself.

All writers want to impress their chosen “audience,” and I use “impress” on purpose because it’s a strong word that calls attention to itself. Whatever audience we choose, we want the respect of that audience. We want them to say, “job well done.” For the critique group writer, the first audience is a group of other writers. There is nothing wrong with this, of course. Most writers are also readers themselves so they can offer informed feedback on two fronts. However, it’s clear in my experience that writers typically judge fiction differently than do readers who don’t write.

What characterizes the work of writers who write to impress their peers? One, their prose is usually lucid and shows good grammar. There is often the modest use of metaphorical and poetic prose. These writers tend to use standard style for punctuation and dialogue. They don’t want their “format” to get in the way of communicating with the reader.

Writers who write for their peers also tend to insert self-referential elements into their work. They slip in references to other writers and to great works of fiction (which is not uncommon among the “write-for-critics” group, as well). They want to appear erudite for an educated and informed audience.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with writing for other writers. It can bring you acclaim, and sometimes wads of cash. Your work may not be taught in literature classes of the future, but it won’t be something disdained by those who teach such classes. It may not, however, give you the “common touch” that often marks the mega-selling author. And it won’t give you the widest possible audience.

Our next post will take us to those who write only for themselves.

P.S. I’d like to thank Writtenwyrdd (D. Lynn Frazier) for awarding me the “Kreativ Blogger” award. Much appreciated. There is a meme attached and I will get around to that after my current series of posts runs its course. Thanks again!

Also, the new Illuminata is out, with an expansion on a blog post I did called “Word Count Ruthlessness.” There’s plenty of other good stuff in there too. You can download the issue for free at the link. Look for Volume 7, Issue 1.
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Who are you Trying to Impress?

This is the first of a short series of posts concerning the question “Who are You Trying to Impress,” which I’m addressing primarily to writers, although I could see that it might be applicable to other fields of endeavor. I consider this a very important question for writers to consider, because it gets at the heart of why we do what we do.

As far as I can figure, writers write to impress one of four different audiences. These are:
1. Critics.
2. Peers (other writers).
3. Oneself.
4. Readers.

Although the choice you personally make is up to you, there are some points I’d like to make about these choices.

1. Critics, as a group, are notoriously fickle. Although some critics are fine writers themselves, many are more concerned about the theory of writing than the practice. This is not bad in and of itself, but to me many critics focus more on style than substance, and style constantly fluctuates. What’s “in” today is “out” tomorrow.

Writers who target their work at critics strive to stand out from the crowd, and this often translates into breaking “rules” for the sake of breaking them. Such writers try tactics such as leaving out quotation marks from around dialogue, or shoving the dialogue from multiple speakers into the same paragraph. They often use experimental prose, writing in future tense, for example, or all in multiple phrase sentences, or in sentence fragments. They seem, at least, to express the idea that truly fine writing must be difficult to understand.

There’s nothing specifically wrong in writing to impress the critics, but most regular readers find such strategies distracting and irritating. And, naturally, some authors do a far better job of pulling off both style and substance than do others. Cormac McCarthy doesn’t need to leave quotation marks out of his dialogue. It’s an affection, nothing more. But McCarthy still tells powerful stories about wonderful characters. Hubert Selby, Jr, the author of Requiem for a Dream, doesn’t need to cram the dialogue from multiple speakers into the same paragraph, but this could be forgiven if his characters weren’t so lame and his prose so dishwater dull.

If writers who chooses this path get lucky, they can win a lot of awards and occasionally even make huge amounts of money. If they gamble wrong they’ll likely be largely forgotten, although one thing that can save them is the movies. I firmly believe, for example, that the movie Requiem for a Dream rescued the much weaker book.

Next post, we’ll consider writing to impress peers, which I believe is more common than writing for the critics. Stay tuned.

P.S., some of you may have noted that I’ve changed my profile picture. Lana and I took some “in character” pics on Tuesday and I thought I might as well use one for the blog.
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Suddenly, I'm Popular

Well, some very good stuff is happening around the web for me today. And I just have to share.


Sidney Williams, one of my longest running friends in the writing biz, is starting up a podcasting series called Fear on Demand. His first "episode" is a horror story by me called "Thief of Eyes," and it's online now. You can find it from the link to Sid's site, which you should check out, or directly at Fear on Demand.

Also, David Cranmer has posted the next installment of his excellent webzine called Beat to a Pulp. It's a noirish story by me called "Whiskey, Guns, and Sin." You can check it out from David's blog page, or through the direct link to Beat to a Pulp.


Finally, Shauna Roberts, a friend of mine who used to live nearby in Louisiana, has been kind enough to award me the Prémio Dardos award. According to Shauna's post, here is the purpose of the award:

The Prémio Dardos is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.

Thanks very much to Shauna. I really appreciate you thinking of me.


OK, enough about me. Enjoy your weekend!

Forgotten Book Friday: Donald Wollheim

A week or so ago I posted about Donald Wollheim’s wonderful juvenile SF novel called The Secret of the Martian Moons (Moons), a favorite of my youth. Little did I know that I was about to discover—not some forgotten books, but some never known books. It turns out that Wollheim wrote a virtual trilogy of young adult novels with similar themes. The other two are called: The Secret of Saturn’s Rings (Rings) and The Secret of the Ninth Planet (Planet). I had never heard of either but I had to have them, and thanks to the internet I was able to order copies of each. I’ve already finished reading them.

The three books each feature a different main character, but all are young men just reaching adulthood. “Moons” features Nelson Parr. “Rings” features Bruce Rhodes. And “Planet” features Burl Denning. They are largely interchangeable, and character development is not the attraction of these novels.

You already know what I think of “Moons,” so here’s my take on the other two. The Secret of Saturn’s Rings features Bruce Rhodes and his scientist father in a desperate race to reach Saturn’s rings. To save earth, they have to prove Bruce’s father’s theory about how the rings formed. Much like Nelson Parr and his father in The Secret of the Martian Moons, Bruce and his father are endangered by saboteurs. “Moons” was first printed in 1955, and “Rings” is copyrighted 1954, which makes me think that “Rings” was almost a run through for the later “Moons.” “Rings” is not as strong as “Moons,” and is weakest of the three books by a good margin. Don’t get me wrong, though, it’s still a fun book.

The Secret of the Ninth Planet is copyright 1959, which makes it the last of the three. It is very good. I believe if I’d read it when I was a teenager I’d remember it about as fondly as I do “Moons.” In “Planet,” Burl Denning starts out working with his father on an archeological trip to South America, but he ends up, without his father, on a spaceship racing to save earth from a group of aliens who are “stealing” the Sun’s energy.

In some ways, “Planet” is actually better than “Moons.” Instead of being focused on one planet, Burl and his fellow crew members must visit Mercury, Venus, Mars, and some of the moons of the outer planets before they reach lonely Pluto. For sheer world building then, it tops “Moons.” However, the book gives much of the “Secret” away earlier in the book than in “Moons,” and the secret itself is not quite as “cool” as in “Moons.” I still rate “Moons” a touch above, but I liked “Planet” a lot too.

I wish I’d found both “Planet” and “Rings” in my youth. Touring the solar system with Donald Wollheim could have wiled away a few more of my hours. I would have liked that.

PS: NOTE: Since I’ve been so swamped at work, I haven’t had a chance to pick a winner in the Strange World contest. I'm going to let it run until the end of January. So if you’d still like to enter to win a free book, check out this post.
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Writing With Class

I’m teaching three classes this semester, Learning, Historical and Applied Perspectives, and Writing in Psychology. I developed that last course with a colleague, Du Bois Williams, a number of years ago, because we saw a big need for better communication skills in our students. I always enjoy teaching it.

Du Bois and I wrote the text that we use in the class, and later a third Colleague, Elliott Hammer, added his efforts to that text. I learn new things every time I teach the course and I hope to have some insights for you here on the blog across the semester. Today is the first class, and I’ll be introducing the format and talking about the resources the students will need.

Writing can take place with very simple tools, a pencil, some paper, and a mind. But it’s good to have some resources to back up what you already know. Besides our text, I tell the students they’ll need:

1. A dictionary. I carry the Oxford American Dictionary around with me, because it’s the biggest paperback dictionary available. I have the Random House Unabridged Dictionary for home.

2. A thesaurus. I use Webster’s New World Thesaurus in dictionary form. I was reading another writing in psychology guidebook the other day and it said, “avoid the thesaurus, use everyday language.” I believe this is absolutely horrible advice. There’s certainly something to be said for everyday language, but the problem is that many students don’t have nearly the vocabulary they need in the first place and a thesaurus is a good way to build one.

3. A book on grammar. I use The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer.

4. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. You've got to have a style manual specific to your discipline.

5. Although I don’t require them, I suggest students look into getting a dictionary of psychology, and I strongly suggest they have a look at two of the best books on writing well that I’ve ever read, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White.

* * * * *

In other news, poet Greg Schwartz has put up a review of my haiku chapbook, Wanting the Mouth of a Lover, over at his Haiku and Horror Blog. He had some nice words to say and it means a lot coming from another poet, and one whose own work I respect so highly. Check it out if you’ve got a moment.
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Announcements and Links

Here's a reminder that the always exciting Book Roast Team: Blogless Troll, Christine Eldin, Dee, Diesel, Jason Evans, Sarah Laurenson, and Shona Snowden, will be back in action starting this Monday, January 12.

They're hosting a party that includes one hot publisher, two terrific agents, and six fabulous authors. The schedule is below:

Monday, Jan 12: Mystery Publisher
Tuesday, Jan 13: Eric Stone
Wednesday, Jan 14: Agent Lucienne Diver
Thursday, Jan 15: Barrie Summy
Saturday, Jan 17: Elysabeth Eldering

Monday, Jan 19: Mystery Publisher
Tuesday, Jan 20: Traci E Hall
Wednesday, Jan 21: Maggie Stiefvater
Thursday, Jan 22: Agent Nathan Bransford
Friday, Jan 23: Jennifer Macaire

Check it out here

Also, if you haven't entered my "Strange Worlds Contest" to win a free book, check out my Tuesday Post. Hey, it's FREE.

And please don’t forget that a site has been set up to help Travis Erwin and his family, who lost their house to fire on January 4. There’s a link HERE.
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When Writing Goes Boring

I’m working on an article on “Endorphins” for a reference book. Here’s a sample of the work so far:

Studies show that animals and humans become less sensitive to painful stimuli while under stress. Humans can sometimes experienced the severe stress of an injury without even being aware of the injury, and without feeling the pain of recognized injuries. For example, soldiers sometimes claim to experience no pain from serious wounds. Similarly, people show decreased pain sensitivity when engaged in the pleasant, but physically stressful, act of sexual intercourse. Much of this effect is mediated by endogenous opioid release in the brain as a response to pain. Drugs that block opioid receptors in the brain generally eliminate the decrease in pain sensitivity brought on by stressful events.

Now, endorphins are fascinating chemicals, often referred to as the body’s natural pain relievers. If people didn’t have endorphins in their brains, then opiate drugs such as morphine and heroin would have no effect on us. Those drugs work through the endorphin system. And…I’m also talking about sexual intercourse here. Who doesn’t find that interesting?

So how come I find myself so bored while laboring over this article this afternoon that I’m taking a break to put up a blog post? The answer is that I already know all this stuff. All I’m really doing is turning something I know into a suitably organized reference article for students at the undergraduate college level. This mostly involves checking my vocabulary and sentence structure, and double checking facts with the reference sources I have handy.

In contrast, when I did the articles on “Fear” and “Transvestism” for the same reference source, I never found myself bored because there was a lot that I was “learning” about those topics.

I’ve learned a lesson for selecting future topics to write on. I thought the endorphin one would be easier than the others because I already knew the topic pretty well. What I’m finding out is that “not knowing” is much more exciting.

Maybe that’s why I love writing fiction so much, and why I don’t do detailed outlines of fiction projects before I start to work on them. Learning what happens next is where the fun is.
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Strange Worlds Contest

Although our first faculty meeting is Wednesday, January 7th, I started back to work myself yesterday, Monday, the 5th. I had a lot to do to get ready for classes, and I accomplished quite a bit. But I still have more things to get done today. Since I quite possibly won’t be able to post much or get around to blogs until late in the week or even the weekend, I thought this might be as good a time as any to run a contest.

I’m giving away a copy of Strange Worlds of Lunacy, subtitled “The Galaxy’s Silliest Anthology.” I have a fantasy story in it called “Mirthgar.” And there are over fifty other humorous stories, mostly SF and fantasy, as well as some very funny illustrations. That’s 206 pages of zaniness.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. I’ll even sign my story if you’d like. Today is January 6th, so I’ll run the contest until January 20 and then will randomly select a winner.

Good luck to everyone!

PS: For information about how you can help Travis Erwin and his family, who lost their house to fire, please see THIS SITE set up by Stephen Parrish.
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Forgotten Books: Pawn to Infinity

Pawn to Infinity is my favorite science fiction anthology of all time, although I don’t hear it mentioned very often. That’s why I’m putting it up as this week’s Forgotten Books Friday selection, which is the brainchild of Patty Abbott

The anthology was published in 1982 by Ace, and was edited by Fred and Joan Saberhagen. All the stories concern chess in either fantastic or science fiction settings. I bought the book when it came out. I was in graduate school at the time and was also interested in chess. I played with the University of Arkansas team and for a while half ignored my studies of psychology in order to study such esoterica as the Queen’s Gambit Declined and King’s Indian Defense. I finally realized that I didn’t have the brain power to play tournament chess and work on an advanced degree at the same time. Since I knew I’d never make a living from chess, I gave it up as a serious pursuit.

But even if the stories in Pawn to Infinity had a special meaning at the time when I first enjoyed them, most have held up wonderfully over the years and are still some of the finest stories I’ve ever read. The best story in the collection, without a doubt, is Poul Anderson’s “Immortal Game.” It’s a complete and delightful story, and yet illustrates an actual game and can be played by following along on a chess board. The game itself is called “The Immortal Game,” and was played in 1851 between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. Anderssen won after a dramatic series of sacrifices. Although there was no officially recognized world chess champion at the time, Anderssen was widely recognized as the best player in the world.

The next best story is “Unicorn Variation” by Roger Zelazny, written in his inimitable style, and also very good is Fritz Leiber’s “Midnight by the Morphy Watch,” which is a thinly veiled Bobby Fischer story, and George R. R. Martin’s “Unsound Variations.” There’s also a very fine classical short by Ambrose Bierce called “Moxon’s Master,” about a chess automaton.

If you like good SF shorts, or love chess, or both, this is a really worthwhile anthology.



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Bibliography Only

Charles A. Gramlich Bibliography

NOVELS:

1. 2002: Cold in the Light. The Invisible College Press, LLC.

2. 1998-1999: Swords of Talera. (To run as a serial in 4 parts.)

* 1998. Swords of Talera (part 1). Startling Science Stories, #17,
December, pp. 44-78.

* 1999. Swords of Talera (part 2). Startling Science Stories, #18,
January, pp. 45-77.

* 1999. Swords of Talera (part 3). Startling Science Stories, #19,
February, pp. 47-77.

* 1999. Swords of Talera (part 4). Startling Science Stories, #20,
March, pp. 51-77.


3. 2000-2001: Wings Over Talera. (To run as a serial in 4 parts.)

*. 2000. Wings Over Talera (part 1). Alien Worlds: Beyond Space &
Time, #7, October, pp. 45-77.

*. 2000. Wings Over Talera (part 2). Alien Worlds: Beyond Space &
Time, #8, November, pp. 41-79.

*. 2000. Wings Over Talera (part 3). Alien Worlds: Beyond Space &
Time, #9, December, pp. 41-80.

*. 2001. Wings Over Talera (part 4). Alien Worlds: Beyond Space &
Time, #10, January, pp. 58-85.

4. 2007. Swords of Talera. Borgo Press.

5. 2007. Wings Over Talera. Borgo Press.

6. 2007. Witch of Talera. Borgo Press.


NONFICTION BOOKS:
1. 2009. Write With Fire. Borgo Press.


EBOOKS:
1. 1994. The Road to Hell. Fictionwise Ebooks & Alexlit.

2. 1997. A Stained Honor. Fictionwise Ebooks & Alexlit.

3. 1999. Death Turned Away. Fictionwise Ebooks & AlexLit.


CHAPBOOKS:
1. 2008. Wanting the Mouth of a Lover. Spec House of Poetry.


SHORT FICTION:
1. 1989. Death Turned Away. Tales on the Twisted Side, Vol. 1, pp.
61-62.

2. 1989. Roses and Thorns. Tales on the Twisted Side, Vol. 1, pp. 36-
38.

3. 1990. Messiah. Dead of Night, No. 5, pp. 11-13.

4. 1990. Lovers. Nightscript, pp. 4-5.

5. 1990. Clowns in the Dark. Prisoners of the Night, No. 4, pp. 47-
48.

6. 1991. The Horns of the Air. The Chapbook 1990: Deep South Writers
Conference, pp. 34-48.

7. 1991. Still Life With Skulls. Twisted, No. 6, pp. 48-51.

8. 1991. Shadow Dream. Sozoryoku, No. 2, pp. 16-21.

9. 1991. In Memory of the Sun. The Vampire's Crypt, No. 4, pp. 106-
109.

10. 1991. Old Bones. After Hours, No. 12, pp. 7-8 & 11.

11. 1992. In the Shadow of the Rose. Sozoryoku, No. 4, pp. 11-19.

12. 1992. Machine Wash Warm; Tumble Dry. Crossroads, Vol. 1, No. 1,
pp. 50-52.

13. 1992. The Teeth of the Wind. The Acorn, Vol. 4, No. 3, p. 5.

14. 1992. A Gathering of Ravens. The Chapbook 1991: Deep South Writers
Conference, pp. 20-32.

15. 1992. The Lady Wore Black. Prisoners of the Night, No. 6, pp. 51-
54.

16. 1992. Sword of Dreams. Fantastic Realms, pp. 47-50.

17. 1992. I Can Spend You. Strange Days, Vol. 1, No. 5, pp. 19-21.

18. 1992. Razor White. Dark Voices 4: The Pan Book of Horror, pp. 57-
71.

19. 1993. A Cold of Snow and Ghosts. Prisoners of the Night, No. 7,
pp. 81-85.

20. 1994. Night Fall. Dead of Night, No. 9, pp. 54-55.

21. 1994. Wanting the Mouth of a Lover. Prisoners of the Night, No. 8,
pp. 45-50.

22. 1995. Lookadder. The Pagan Review, Vol 1., No. 1, pp. 38-39.

23. 1995. Crypto. Intermix SF/Fantasy Online, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 7-9.

24. 1995. Chimes. The Chapbook 1994: Deep South Writer's Conference,
pp. 87-96.

25. 1995. Smoked Meat. Intermix SF/Fantasy Online, Vol. 2, No 4, pp.
6-11.

26. 1995. What Was Asked; What Was Given (Vampire Version). Prisoners
of the Night, No. 9, pp. 13-15.

27. 1995. Splatter of Black. Dark Terrors, pp. 125-140. (Hardback).

28. 1995. The Evening Rider. Shadow Sword, No. 8, pp. 30-35.

29. 1996. In Memory of Ruins. Shadow Sword, No. 9, pp. 49-57.

30. 1996. The Road To Hell. Nox, No. 7, pp, 23-25.

31. 1997. Train Man. The Xavier Review, Vol 16, No. 2, pp. 42-50.

32. 1997. Of Sake and Swords. Warrior Poets, March/Spring 97, Issue
#2, pp. 6-7.

33. 1997. Vessel for the Holy. Prisoners of the Night, No. 10, pp. 47-
51.

34. 1997. Wine and Swords. Shadow Sword, No. 11 (Damsels in Distress),
pp. 13-22.

35. 1997. A Stained Honor. Area of Operations, pp. 36-39.

36. 1999. Machine Wash Warm; Tumble Dry. FrightNet Online Magazine,
June/July Issue #13, at http://www.frightnet.com

37. 1999. Luck and Swords. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 52, pp.
49-54.

38. 1999. Aboard the Wings of the Night. Startling Science Stories,
No. 26, pp. 47-51.

39. 1999. A Stained Honor. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

40. 1999. Smoked Meat. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

41. 1999. Messiah. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

42. 1999. Crypto. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

43. 1999. Old Bones. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

44. 1999. The Road to Hell. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

45. 1999. Lookadder. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

46. 1999. Death Turned Away. Alexandria Digital Literature, (Online).

47. 1999. His Eyes Were Dust. Startling Science Stories, No. 27, pp.
37-40.

48. 1999. Your Nightmare or Mine. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No.
54, pp. 70-71.

49. 1999. All God's Children Got Guns. Detective Mystery Stories, No.
11, pp. 72-73.

50. 1999. In the Memory of Ruins. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No.
56, pp. 18-32.

51. 1999. Wall of Love. Agony in Black, Volume 3, pp. 15-19.

52. 2000. Wine and Swords. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 57, pp.
3-19.

53. 2000. The Evening Rider. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 59, pp.
22-34.

54. 2000. Flock of Swords. Warrior Poets, November/Winter, Issue 6,
pp. 16-17.

55. 2000. Sword of Dreams. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 60, pp.
66-70.

56. 2000. Shadow Dream. Classic Pulp Fiction Stores, No. 62, pp. 75-
78.

57. 2000. In the Shadow of the Rose. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No.
63, pp. 50-56.

58. 2000. The Horns of the Air. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 64,
pp. 33-44.

59. 2001. Still Life With Skulls. Twilight Showcase, (Online). Issue
25, February 2001.

60. 2001. Worms In The Earth: Barbarian's Bane. Dragonlaugh, (Online).
Volume 3, Number 2, August 2001.

61. 2001. River Road, Night Music. Erotic New Orleans, pp. 299-311.

62. 2001. Killing Trail. Elbow Creek Magazine, (Online). Volume 1,
Issue 3, November/December.

63. 2002. What Was Asked; What Was Given (HF Version). Classic Pulp
Fiction Stories, No. 85, pp. 72-75.

64. 2002. Monster Spray. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 87, pp. 18-
23.

65. 2002. Flock of Swords. Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, No. 88, pp.
41-43.

66. 2003. Haunting Place. 31 Eyes Fantasy/Horror Webzine, Issue 1
(Online.)

67. 2003. Do As I Say... Fusing Horizons, Issue 1, Winter 2003, pp.
84-86.

68. 2004. Your Nightmare or Mine. Bloodletters Ezine. Vol. 2--A Creak
in the Floorboards (Online.)

69. 2004. Thief of Eyes. The Parasitorium: Terrors Within, pp. 1-12.
(Trade Paperback & PDF)

70. 2004. Goodies. Small Bites, pp. 409-411. (Trade Paperback)

71. 2005. I Can Spend You. F&SF Anthology, pp. 6-10. (Trade Paperback
& PDF)

72. 2005. Night Raptures. Descending Darkness Ezine. (Online.)

73. 2006. Slugger’s Holiday. Beacons of Tomorrow, New Orleans:
Tyrannosaurus Press. pp. 113-128. (Trade Paperback & PDF)

74. 2007. Dark Wind. Welcome to Suburbia Website:

75. 2007. When the White Mist. Night to Dawn, Issue 12, Spring 2007.
pp. 9.

76. 2008. Mirthgar. Strange Worlds of Lunacy, Cyberaliens Press. pp.
63-69. (Trade Paperback & PDF)

77. 2008. Worms in the Earth: Barbarian’s Bane. Flashing Swords (Special Edition Summer 2008), Cyberwizard Productions. pp. 138-142.

78. 2008. Precious Cargo. The Clarity of Night Website.

79. 2008. Once Upon a Time With the Dead. Bits of the Dead. Coscom
Entertainment. pp. 57-58. (Trade Paperback)

80. 2009. Whiskey, Guns, and Sin. Beat to a Pulp. Webzine.

81. 2009. Thief of Eyes. Fear on Demand. Podcast Sound Recording

82. 2009. Good Night; Sleep Tight. Micro 100. Issue #2, February 2009. Webzine.

83. 2009. Dragon Lost. Dragons Composed. Kerlak Publishing: Memphis, TN. pp. 151-152.

84. 2009. A Curse the Dead Must Bear. Return of the Raven. Horror Bound Magazine Publications: pp. 11-14.


MISCELLANEOUS AND/OR EXCERPTS:
1. 2000. Cold in the Light (Excerpt from Chapter 5, Part 4). Xavier
Review, Vol. 20. No. 1., pp. 66-70.

2. 2000. Thunderkiss (Excerpt, all of Chapter 1). Xavier Review, Vol.
20. No. 1., pp. 70-74.

3. 2000. Days of Rain (Excerpt, all of Prologue, Part of Chapter 1).
Xavier Review, Vol. 20. No. 1., pp. 74-77.

4. 2001. Legend of the Cat (Rewritten from Mary Gramlich's Original),
(Online/Email Zine). E-Genre, #19, July 6, 2001.



NON-FICTION: (Academic/Scientific)
Edited Works
1. 1990. Garibaldi, A., & Gramlich C. A. (Eds.). The mayor's war on
drugs office: 1989 report. New Orleans: Xavier University.

2. 1996. Gramlich, C. A., & Schulte, L. J. (Eds.). The Xavier Journal
of Psychology, Vol. 1. No. 1. New Orleans: Xavier University.

3. 1997. Schulte, L. J., & Gramlich, C. A. (Eds.). The Xavier Journal
of Psychology, Vol. 1. No. 2. New Orleans: Xavier University.

4. 1998. Gramlich, C. A., & Schulte, L. J. (Eds.). The Xavier Journal
of Psychology, Vol. 1. No. 3. New Orleans: Xavier University.

5. 1999. Schulte, L. J., & Gramlich, C. A. (Eds.). The Xavier Journal
of Psychology, Vol. 1. No. 4. New Orleans: Xavier University.

6. 2000. Schulte, L. J., & Gramlich, C. A. (Eds.). The Xavier Journal
of Psychology, Vol. 2. No. 1. New Orleans: Xavier University.

Publications
1. 1987. Gramlich, C. A., & Stripling, J. S. Effect of pentylenetetrazol-induced convulsions on the development and expression of limbic
kindled seizures. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, & Behavior, Vol. 26,
pp. 159-165.

2. 1988. Stripling, J. S., Patneau, D. K., & Gramlich, C. A. Selective
long-term potentiation in the pyriform cortex. Brain Research,
Vol. 441, pp. 281-291

3. 1989. Stripling, J. S., Gramlich, C. A., & Cunningham, M. G. Effect
of cocaine and lidocaine on the development of kindled seizures.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, & Behavior, Vol. 32, pp. 463-468.

4. 1990. Gramlich, C. A. Four years before the class. Undergraduate
Teaching in the South, Vol. 1 (No. 2), pp. 6-7.

5. 1991. Stripling, J. S., Patneau, D. K., & Gramlich, C. A.
Characterization and anatomical distribution of selective long-term
potentiation in the olfactory forebrain. Brain Research, Vol. 542,
pp. 107-122.

6. 1997. Psychological Theories of Identity. Issues and Identities
in Literature, pp. 782-785.

7. 2004. B. F. Skinner: American Psychologist. Cyclopedia of World Authors
4th Revised Edition, pp. 2897-2899.



NON-FICTION: (Non-Academic/Popular Science/Essays/Reviews)
1. 1991. Blood Sport. Not Yet; Isms, No. 13, pp. 19.

2. 1992. Listening. Xavier Review, Vol. 10, No's 1 & 2, pp. 57-62.

3. 1992. RQW3R. The Nightmare Express, Vol. 5, No 20, pp. 3-4.

4. 1994. How To Tip The Odds In Your Favor. Just Write, August, 1994,
pp. 4-5, 24.

5. 1994. The Witch of the Indies (Book Review). The Athadian Chronicle,
Vol. 2, No. 2., pp.1-2.

6. 1994. How Deep Space Nine and the Next Generation Explore the Psychology
of Alien Races. In James Van Hise, Trek in the 24th Century, pp. 47-51.

7. 1996. The Broken Sword (Critical Review). Magill's Guide to SF/Fantasy
Literature, pp. 108-109.

8. 1996. When Gravity Fails (Critical Review). Magill's Guide to SF/Fantasy
Literature, pp. 1035-1036.

9. 1996. Three Hearts and Three Lions (Critical Review). Magill's Guide to
SF/Fantasy Literature, pp. 930-932.

10. 1997. Lucy: The Beginnings of Humankind (Critical Review). Masterplots
II: Juvenile and Young Adult Literature Series, Supplement, pp. 785-788.

11. 1997. Robert E. Howard: Poet in Prose. The Fantastic Worlds of Robert E.
Howard, pp. 123-125.

12. 1997. Robert E. Howard's Book of Fantasy Heroes. The Fantastic Worlds of
Robert E. Howard, pp. 146-155.

13. 1997. W.E.B Du Bois (Short Biography). cyclopedia of World Authors,
Revised Edition, pp. 579-580.

14. 1997. One Way to Put a Style Together. Writer's Gazette, Autumn, p. 5.

15. 1997. James Baldwin (Short Biography). Issues and Identities in
Literature, pp. 141-142.

16. 1997. Giovanni's Room (Critical Review). Issues and Identities
in Literature, pp. 447-448.

17. 1997. Notes of a Native Son (Critical Review). Issues and
Identities in Literature, pp. 721-722.

18. 1998. One Way to Put a Style Together. Canadian Writer's Journal,
Vol. 15, No. 3, Fall 1998, p. 37.

19. 1998. RQW3R. Canadian Writer's Journal, Vol. 15, No. 4, Winter
1998, p. 41-43.

20. 1999. To The Point. Bast Media/Writer's Network, July 1999, V613, p. 15.

21. 2000. Gramlich, C. A. & Brucker, C. Ishmael Reed (Update of
Biographical Essay by C. Brucker). Critical Survey of Long Fiction,
Second Revised Edition, pp. 2692-2700.

22. 2000. Gramlich, C. A. & Cobbs, J. L. Peter Matthiessen (Update of
Biographical Essay by Cobbs). Critical Survey of Long Fiction, Second
Revised Edition, pp. 2205-2216.

23. 2001. Gramlich, C. A. & Boon, Lipman, Jo-Ellen. Samuel R. Delany
(Update of Biographical Essay by Boon). Critical Survey of Short
Fiction, Second Revised Edition, pp. 709-714.

24. 2001. Emergent Properties. Cyber Oasis, (Online). Vol. 5, Issue 1.

25. 2001. Robert E. Howard: Poet in Prose. The Fantastic Worlds of
Robert E. Howard, pp. 123-125. (Second Printing)

26. 2001. Robert E. Howard's Book of Fantasy Heroes. The Fantastic Worlds of
Robert E. Howard, pp. 146-155. (Second Printing)

27. 2002. The Lives and Deaths of Three Writers: A Speculative Essay on
London, Howard, and Hemingway. The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert
E. Howard Studies, Issue 6, Summer 2001, pp. 12-24.

28. 2002. When Electricity Came to Arkansas. Delasaint’s, Southern Writing
With An Edge. (Online).

29. 2002. The Heroic Character of James T. Kirk. The Illuminata, (November
2002), pp. 3, 8, 10.

30. 2003. The History of Fantasy: Robert E. Howard. The Illuminata, (January
2003), pp. 6, 11.

31. 2003. RQW3R. The Illuminata, (February 2003), pp. 6, 13.
(Reprint)

32. 2003. The Writer’s Block: Developing Style. The Illuminata, (March
2003), pp. 5. (Reprint)

33. 2003. The Role of Place in The Black Arrow. Cyclopedia of Literary
Places, pp. 122-123.

34. 2003. The Role of Place in House Made of Dawn. Cyclopedia of Literary
Places, pp. 539-540.

35. 2003. Fantasy by Definition. The Illuminata, (April 2003), pp. 5, 12.


36. 2003. To The Point. The Illuminata, (May 2003), pp. 6.

37. 2003. Where Have All the Good Themes Gone? The Illuminata, (June 2003),
pp.6.

38. 2003. Sword and Planet Fiction. The Illuminata, (July 2003), pp. 5, 17-18.

39. 2003. Creating Sympathetic Characters. The Illuminata, (August 2003), pp. 4.

40. 2003. Writer’s Block No More! The Illuminata, (October 2003), pp. 5.


41. 2003. Writing with Confidence. The Illuminata, (November 2003), pp. 6.


42. 2003. Five Habits of PublishING Writers. The Illuminata, (December 2003),
pp. 6, 19.

43. 2004. Don’t Talk, Write! The Illuminata, (January 2004), pp. 6.

44. 2004. Problem Words Part 1. (With Du Bois Williams). The Illuminata,
(February 2004), pp. 5, 17.

45. 2004. Problem Words Part 2. (With Du Bois Williams). The Illuminata,
(March 2004), pp. 4, 17.

46. 2004. In the Tradition of. The Illuminata, (April 2004), pp. 5, 17-19.


47. 2004. Punctuate It and Forget It!. (With Du Bois Williams). The
Illuminata, (May 2004), pp. 5, 15-16.

48. 2004. Gothic Literature: Defining It and Finding It for Free. The
Illuminata, (June 2004), pp. 6, 13.

49. 2004. The Mechanics of Suspense. The Institute of Children’s Literature,
(May 2004), online.

50. 2004. So, You Want to be a Writer? The Illuminata, (July 2004), pp. 4,
12-13.

51. 2004. Rewrite, Rewrite, Rewrite. The Illuminata, (August 2004), pp. 3.


52. 2004. Before You Submit, Don’t Forget! The Illuminata, (September 2004),
pp. 4.

53. 2004. Pro Versus Amateur. The Illuminata, (October 2004), pp. 4.


54. 2004. Dream Stories. The Illuminata, (November 2004), pp. 4, 10.


55. 2004. First Words. The Illuminata, (December 2004), pp. 4.

56. 2004. In the Tradition of. The Howard Review #12 (September 2004), pp.
20-25.

57. 2005. Term Paper Blues. The Illuminata, (January 2005), pp. 4, 11.


58. 2005. Harvesting Memories. The Illuminata, (February 2005), pp. 4.


59. 2005. Robert E. Howard in the Gothic Tradition. The Dark Man #8, Winter
2004, pp. 13-24.

60. 2005. Fun With Fear. The Illuminata, (March 2005), pp. 4, 11.

61. 2005. Horror Writers: The Crazy Truth. The Illuminata, (April 2005), pp.
4.

62. 2005. Why Horror. The Illuminata, (May 2005), pp. 4.

63. 2005. Cross Plains, Lost and Found. The Illuminata, (June 2005), pp. 4, 11.

64. 2005. Hemingway: A Writer’s Life and Death. The Illuminata, (July 2005),
pp. 5, 17-18.

65. 2005. London: Two-Fisted Writer. The Illuminata, (August 2005), pp. 4,
13-14.

66. 2005. A Writer on the Run. The Illuminata, (September 2005), pp. 4.

67. 2005. By Example. The Illuminata, (November 2005), pp. 4, 13.

68. 2005. Barbarians. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and
Fantasy, Vol. 1., pp. 73-75.

69. 2005. Sword and Sorcery. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
and Fantasy, Vol. 2., pp. 779-781.

70. 2005. A Princess of Mars essay. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science
Fiction and Fantasy, Vol. 3., pp. 1209-1211.

71. 2005. In Praise of the Net. The Illuminata, (December 2005), pp. 4.

72. 2006. A Death in the Family. The Illuminata, (January 2006), pp. 4, 17.

73. 2006. Writing with Purpose. The Illuminata, (February 2006), pp. 4.

74. 2006. The First Rule of Endings. The Illuminata, (April 2006), pp. 4.

75. 2006. Writing Your Past. The Illuminata, (May 2006), pp. 4.

76. 2006. Writing Groups. The Illuminata, (June 2006), pp. 4, 13.

77. 2006. The Cimmerian Review. The Dark Man, Vol. 2, Issue No. 1 / 2, Spring
2006, pp. 82-87.

78. 2006. Blogging Pros and Cons. The Illuminata, (July 2006). pp. 4.

79. 2006. Working Man’s Curse. The Illuminata, (August 2006). pp. 4.

80. 2006. Five Years Down the Road. The Illuminata, (September 2006). pp. 4.

81. 2006. An Error in Detail. The Illuminata, (October 2006). pp. 4, 9.

82. 2006. Criticism Hurts. The Illuminata, (November 2006). pp. 4.

83. 2006. Writing Weather. The Illuminata, (December 2006). pp. 4.

84. 2006. REH: A State of Mind. In, Two-Gun Bob: A Centennial Study of Robert
E. Howard. Hippocampus Press. (Published as “A Behavioral Perspective.”

85. 2007. Rest in Peace: Short Story. The Illuminata, (January 2007). pp. 5.

86. 2007. Characters: The Best and the Rest. The Illuminata, (Febuary 2007).
pp. 3, 10.

87. 2007. Page-Turners: What Makes Them, What Breaks Them. The Illuminata,
(March 2007). pp. 4, 7.

88. 2007. Curse of the Lazy Ending. The Illuminata, (April 2007). pp. 3.

89. 2007. The Mechanics of Suspense. The Illuminata, (May 2007). pp. 5.

90. 2007. Slow Versus Quick Suspense. The Illuminata, (June 2007). pp. 5, 7.

91. 2007. The Physical Side of Writing. The Illuminata, (July 2007). pp. 5.

92. 2007. Writing with Attitude. The Illuminata, (August 2007). pp. 5, 8.

93. 2007. Endings: What’s At Stake. The Illuminata, (September 2007). pp. 4.

94. 2007. Expand Your Mind. The Illuminata, (October 2007). pp. 5.

95. 2007. Resonance. The Illuminata, (November 2007). pp. 4, 9.

96. 2007. Emotion and Medium in Writing. The Illuminata, (December 2007).
pp. 4, 7.

97. 2008. A Grammar Primer. The Illuminata, (January 2008). pp. 4, 9.

98. 2008. Mythmaker. Dissecting Hannibal Lecter. pp. 212-216.

99. 2008. Information Overload. The Illuminata, (April 2008). pp. 5, 25.

100. 2008. David Morrell (Entry). Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective
Fiction, Revised Edition. pp. 1327-1332.

101. 2008. James Sallis (Entry). Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective
Fiction, Revised Edition. pp. 1573-1576.

102. 2008. What I Learned from Bad Writers. The Illuminata (July 2008). p. 6.

103. 2008. Motley Crue (Entry). The Eighties in America. pp. 668-669.

104. 2008. Rambo (Entry). The Eighties in America. pp. 796-797.

105. 2008. How to Cheat a Reader. The Illuminata, (October 2008). pp. 5, 11-
12.

106. 2009. Word Count Ruthlessness. The Illuminata, (January 2009). pp. 3.

107. 2009. Last-Breath Poetry. The HWA Newsletter, Vol. 20., Issue 104.

108. 2009. Poetry. The Illuminata, (April 2009). pp. 3.

109. 2009. Japan’s Mythos. Review of Night Voices, Night Journey, Vol. 1. The
Dark Man, Vol. 4, No. 2., pp. 68-72.

110. 2009. Reading Books on Writing. The Illuminata, (July 2009). pp. 5.


EDITORIALS:
1. 2004. For The Dark Man #7 The Dark Man, Issue #7, Spring 2004, p. 3.
2. 2005. For The Dark Man #8. The Dark Man, Issue #8, Winter 2004, pp. 2-3.
3. 2007. For the Dark Man. The Dark Man, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2007. pp. 2-4.

INTERVIEWS:
1. 2008. Interview with Charles Nuetzel. In Pocketbook Writer, pp. 254-282.

POETRY:
1. 1989. Sensation/Perception. Tales on the Twisted Side, Vol. 1, pp. 57.

2. 1991. Birth. Midnight Zoo, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 126.

3. 1991. She's a Killer. Dumars Reviews, No. 11.

4. 1991. Of You. Writer's Info, Vol. 7, No. 6.

5. 1991. Symmetry Fear. The Raven, 4th Quarterly Issue, Next to Last Page.

6. 1992. Two Years Before the Stacks. The Acorn, Vol. 4, No. 2, p. 9
(incorrectly numbered).

7. 1992. The Harps of October. Midnight Zoo, Vol. 2, No. 4, p. 14.

8. 1992. A Sound to War. Midnight Zoo, Vol. 2, No. 5, p. 58.

9. 1994. Cold Blood. Night Songs, No. 7, p. 6 (unnumbered).

10. 1994. Forgiven. Star*Line, Vol. 17, No. 2, p. 12.

11. 1994. Last Supper. Star*Line, Vol. 17, No. 5, p. 8.

12. 1994. dead sparrow at the door cat loves me. Modern Haiku,
Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 16.

13. 1994. nearly dry puddle of black stew minnows. Modern Haiku, Vol.
15, No. 3, p. 16.

14. 1994. on the haiku road writer gets lost naturally. Modern Haiku,
Vol. 15, No. 3, p. 16.

15. 1994. Vacuum Angels. Star*Line, Vol. 17, No. 6, p. 15.

16. 1994. Razors, Symmetry, and Fear. Midnight Zoo, Vol. 3, No. 8, p. 4.

17. 1995. Can There Be Any Poetry in Darkness. Just Write, Spring,
1995, p. 13.

18. 1995. Ten Years Before the Page. Just Write, Spring, 1995, p. 13.

19. 1995. In the Ruins of Memory. Just Write, Spring, 1995, p. 13.

20. 1995. Holocaust In Rosary. Once Upon A Midnight..., pp. 58-59.

21. 1995. Judas Nailed His Mouth Open. Once Upon A Midnight..., p. 61.

22. 1995. Dead To Write. Rouge Et Noir, No. 6, p. 18.

23. 1995. Sitting Innocent (12 vampire haiku). Rouge Et Noir, No. 6, p. 19.

24. 1995. Forgiven. The 1995 Rhysling Anthology, p. 24.

25. 1996. Old Dead Woman. Star*Line, Vol. 19, Nos. 2 & 3, P. 13.

26. 1996. License to Bleed. Star*Line, Vol. 19, No. 4, p. 15.

27. 1997. Smoke in the Blood. Warrior Poets, March/Spring 1997, Issue
#2, p. 18.

28. 1999. Twisted Little Thing. Penny Dreadful, Wynter 1999, Issue
Nine, p. 20.

29. 1999. Still Ghosts. Penny Dreadful, Wynter 1999, Issue Nine, p. 44.

30. 2000. Wet Acid Angel. Penny Dreadful, Wynter 2000, Issue Twelve, p. 125.

31. 2000. Maps. Penny Dreadful, Wynter 2000, Issue Twelve, p. 66.

32. 2000. Dark Angel: Death is a wild... Penny Dreadful, Wynter 2000,
Issue Twelve, p. 28.

33. 2000. Heart Breaker. Penny Dreadful, Wynter 2000, Issue Twelve, p. 106.

34. 2000. Lords of Dust. Penny Dreadful, Midsummer 2000, Issue Thirteen, p.
72.

35. 2000. Voodoo Gods. Blood Moon Zine, Volume II, Issue II.

36. 2000. Innocent Little Sin. Blood Moon Zine, Vol. II, Iss. II.

37. 2000. Loud Love. Blood Moon Zine, Volume II, Issue II.

38. 2001. Three Proverbs (Sin, Blood, Death). The Bible of Hell, p. 174.

39. 2001. Border. HazMat Review, Vol. 5, Issue 1, p. 76.

40. 2001. Cross Plains Conjure Man. Star*Line, Vol. 24, Issue 5, p. 14-15.

41. 2002. Cold as Love. Penny Dreadful, Issue Fourteen, p. 34.

42. 2002. Soft. Penny Dreadful, Issue Fourteen, p. 50.

43. 2002. Cross Plains Conjure Man. The 2002 Rhysling Anthology, p. 52-53.

44. 2003. Columbia. The Charleston Express, p. 2.

45. 2003. One Small Step. The Illuminta, (August 2003), p. 11. (Adobe
Acrobat email)

46. 2003. Moth. GothicRevue.com, December 2003.

47. 2004. Blind. GothicRevue.com, March 2004.

48. 2004. Abraded by Light. GothicRevue.com, March 2004.

49. 2005. Echoes/Razored. The Shantytown Anomaly, Issue #1, December 2005,
p. 7.

50. 2005. Night Road. Kopfhalter!, Issue #3, Fall 2005, p. 49.

51. 2006 God in a Nutshell. The Shantytown Anomaly, Issue #2, March 2006, p.
7.

52. 2006. Rotted Angels “2”. Star*Line, Vol. 29, Issue 3, p. 18.

53. 2008. Recompense Reprise. Niteblade, Issue #3, March 2008, p. 41.

54. 2008. After a Hard Rain…. Paper Wasp, 14(3), p. 7.

55. 2008. Blue Soul. Dreams & Nightmares, 80, p. 15.

56. 2008. Mouths Filled like Cups…. The Shantytown Anomaly, p. 19.

57. 2008. Soft Vapor Trails…. The Shantytown Anomaly, p. 19.

58. 2009. Mouths Filled like Cups…. The HWA Newsletter, Vol. 20, Iss. 104.

59. 2009. Branded. The HWA Newsletter, Vol. 20, Iss. 104.

60. 2009. In the Ruins of Memory. The HWA Newsletter, Vol. 20, Iss. 104.

61. 2009. Abraded by Light. The HWA Newsletter, Vol. 20, Iss. 104.

62. 2009. April Again. The Illuminata, (April 2009). pp. 3.

63. 2009. Faint laughters clowns in the dark. The 2009 Rhysling Anthology, pp. 41.


QUIZZES/PUZZLES:
1. 2003. Fantasy Worlds Quiz. The Illuminata, (April, 2003), pp. 9, 12

2. 2003. Worlds of SF Quiz. The Illuminata, (May 2003), pp. 6, 11. (

3. 2003. Heroes of Fantasy Quiz. The Illuminata, (June 2003), pp. 11, 15.


4. 2003. Famous Movie Monster Quiz. The Illuminata, (July 2003), pp. 7, 11.


5. 2003. Movie Villain Quiz. The Illuminata, (August 2003), pp. 8, 17.

6. 2003. Author Pseudonyms Quiz. The Illuminata, (September, 2003), pp. 7,
10.

7. 2003. Classic SF Novels Quiz. The Illuminata, (October, 2003), pp. 7.
(
8. 2003. Genre Word Search. The Illuminata, (October 2003), pp. 11.

9. 2003. Classic Horror Novels Quiz. The Illuminata, (December, 2003), pp. 19, 21.

10. 2004. TV/Movie Vampires Quiz. The Illuminata, (February 2004), pp 12, 16.
(

11. 2004. Vampire Quiz. The Illuminata, (April 2004), pp. 15, 19.

12. 2004. Classic Fantasy Novels. The Illuminata, (June 2004), pp. 3, 11.


INTERVIEWS WITH ME:

1. 2002. “What Horror Lies Within a Psychology Professor’s Mind?” GC Magazine, October, 2002, Volume 9, Issue 5. Conducted by Ethan Nahte

2. 2007. “Interview with speculative fiction author Charles Allen Gramlich.” Interview by Shauna Roberts on her blog: Shauna Roberts’ For Love Of Words. (30 May, 2007.)

3. 2007. “Psychology Professor Has Tales To Tell.” This Month At Xavier (TMAX). Volume 38. Number 7.

Note: This interview was also run in the Charleston Express, Volume 107. Number 26, Wednesday, August 1, 2007.

4. 2007. “Northshore Authors.” Inside Northside (November/December 2007), Volume 22, Number 6. pp. 99-100.

5. 2008. “Interview With Charles Gramlich.” Flashing Swords (Special Edition Summer 2008), Cyberwizard Productions. pp. 135-137.

NOMINATIONS/AWARDS/CONTESTS:
1. 1989. Birth (Poem). Placed 46th out of 1983 entries in Writer’s Digest poetry contest.

2. 1989. Death Turned Away (Story). 1st place in short-short; Skye Isle
Contest.

3. 1989. Roses and Thorns (Story). 8th place in short story; Skye Isle
Contest.

4. 1989. Sensation/Perception (Poem). Honorable mention in poetry; Skye Isle
Contest.

5. 1989. Blood Sport (Humorous Essay). Finalist for the Roberts Writing
Awards.

6. 1990. Shadow Dream (Story). 3rd place in short-short; Skye Isle Contest.

7. 1990. In the Shadow of the Rose (Story). 4th place in short story; Skye
Isle Contest.

8. 1990. The Harps of October (Poem). 4th place in poetry; Skye Isle
Contest.

9. 1990. The Horns of the Air (Story). Tied for 1st place in Deep South
Writing Contest (with another of my stories), in Category III, Fantasy/SF.

10. 1990. Wine and Swords (Story). Tied for 1st place in Deep South Writing
Contest (with “The Horns of the Air”), in Category III, Fantasy/SF.

11. 1991. A Gathering of Ravens (Story). 1st place in Deep South Writing Contest, in Category III, Fantasy/SF.

12. 1991. The Evening Rider (Story). 3rd place in Deep South Writing Contest, in Category III, Fantasy/SF.

13. 1991. Death Turned Away (Story). 2nd place in Hutton Previously Published Contest.

14. 1991. Symmetry Fear (Poem). 3rd place in The Raven Magazine Contest.

15. 1992. In the Memory of Ruins (Story). Honorable Mention in the Deep South Writing Contest, in Category III, Fantasy/SF.

16. 1993. Midnight on the Sand (Opening paragraph). 1st place in the Snake River Reflections contest.

17. 1994. Thinking About Your Brain (Essay). 47th in Writer’s Digest Feature Article Contest.

18. 1994. Chimes (Story). Honorable Mention in the Deep South Writing Contest. Equates to 2nd & 3rd Place.

19. 1995. Forgiven (Poem). Nominated for the Rhysling Award in Genre Poetry. Reprinted in The 1995 Rhysling Anthology, p. 24.

20. 1996. Smoked Meat (Story). Nominated by Intermix as one of five stories from the "Best from Intermix 1995."

21. 1996. Haunting Place (Story). Honorable Mention in the Dark Dixie Contest.

22. 1997. Judas Nailed His Mouth Open (Poem). Honorable mention in the 1996 Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 9th annual edition.

23. 1999. Swords of Talera (Novel). Awarded best work of original fiction appearing in Startling Science Stories during the period of June 98 to May 99.

24. 2000. Wine and Swords (Story). Awarded 2nd place as best work of original fiction appearing in Classic Pulp Fiction Stories, June 99 to May 00.

25. 2001. Wings Over Talera (Novel). Awarded best work of original fiction appearing in Alien Worlds during the period of June 00 to May 01.

26. 2001. Legend of the Cat (Story). Revision of Mary Gramlich’s original. 1st place in E-Genres Fables Contest.

27. 2002. Cross Plains Conjure Man (Poem). Nominated for the 2001 Rhysling Award from the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Reprinted in 2002 Rhysling Anthology, p. 52-53.

28. 2005. Thief of Eyes (Story). Honorable mention in the 2005 Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, 18th annual edition.

29. 2005. Night Raptures (Story). 1st Place in Descending Darkness Contest.

30. 2007. Rotted Angels (Poem). Honorable mention in the 2007 Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, 20th annual edition.

31. 2008. Precious Cargo (Flash Fiction). Reader’s Choice Award in The Clarity of Night contest.

32. 2009. Faint Laughters Clowns in the Dark. Nominated for the 2008 Rhysling Award from the SFPA

The Poetry of Blood

THE POETRY OF BLOOD
By Charles Allen Gramlich

The poet dips his quill in a tiny puddle of iron-black ink and brushes a delicate calligraphy across the pale swath of his manuscript, each stroke delivered as precisely as that of a surgeon with a scalpel. His lips move as he reads his own words.

“I dream in midnight claret, my mouth torn with sorrow.”

The manuscript does not speak, can not around the satin gag that binds her mouth. But now she allows herself to breathe, allows her chest to rise and fall beneath the wealth of fine dark lines that etch her arms and legs, her belly and one of her breasts. And her eyes are expressive, wet with a holy shine that the poet kisses lightly away.

“Not much more,” the poet says kindly. “A few haikus worth, perhaps.”

He soothes the manuscript’s damp brow with a sandpaper-dry palm, then leans back in his chair beside the bed where his canvas lies in chains and picks up the smallest and sharpest of his knives. The manuscript shudders, but the poet only trims his quill to a fresh sharpness and returns the blade to its defined space on his bedside worktable. Once again he dips quill to ink; once again he writes and reads.

“I dream in white and ebon, dressed as a harlequin in shards of poetry. And my tongue is that of wolves.”

He has chosen the manuscript’s remaining breast for these words, and as if from the dark inscriptions themselves an electric scent arises. It is composed of adrenaline and pheromones and clings to the delicate textures beneath. The poet leans forward before it can dissipate to draw it into his lungs through his nostrils. His mouth lingers close to the source of the scent; his tongue caresses the nipple to draw a last bead of musk into his mouth. He swallows.

The taste is sweet. But not yet sweet enough.

Now, only the manuscript’s face remains barren, only the forehead and cheeks, and the sharply pointed little chin. The poet addresses his quill to these empty landscapes next.

“I dream in heat,” he whispers. “Of bell-loud nights where I tattoo love in her flesh with the wet needle of my tongue.”

Again the scent arises from the manuscript, an odor of arousal and fear, tinged with a patina of copper sweat. The poet lays his quill aside; he removes the satin gag that stills the voice he now craves to hear.

Her whimpers draw him to her mouth. Her chains rattle as he releases the cuffs that bind her at ankles and wrists. With hunger, she strips away his robe; she entwines him with her limbs. The ink of his poems smears between them as it erases beneath a different kind of rhythm, a renga of movement that ends with a syllable of sighs.

Later, as they lie in ink and sex stained sheets, she recalls for him the bargain they had made. Her trust, for his. He nods and she removes her chains and places them upon his limbs. She bathes him with her tongue, dries him with her hair. She silences his mouth with satin so he can still taste the wetness of her mouth with his.

Now she becomes the poet and he the manuscript. But she composes without ink or sharpened quill. Her marks are inscribed with teeth and nails, written in the red of blood.

A Renewal of the Vows: Sort of

Tomorrow marks a twenty year anniversary of sorts for me. On January 1, 1989, I made a vow in the journal I was starting to keep. On that date, I gave myself five years to get published, and I promised myself that I would work on some writing task, no matter how small, each day. That meant I would read a book about writing, or study a grammar guide, or, mostly, that I would just write. And I added a last promise, that if I’d really tried hard for five years and had nothing to show for it, I’d quit writing and not look back. I’m glad I didn’t have to abandon writing. In fact, I sold several things that first year, and quite a bit since, although at times I wonder if it’s gotten any easier.

Several times over those first five years I had to “rededicate” myself to writing. Life does get in the way. I was also establishing my career in those years, and a marriage that ultimately didn’t survive, and I was raising a son. I don’t regret letting those things get in the way of my writing. They had to. No matter how important writing is, life is more important. Other people are more important. Children are the most important. You can’t write without doing some living yourself.

Eventually, it became sort of routine to “renew” my commitment to writing each New Years, even if I’d written a lot and had good success in the previous year. I’ll do it in my journal again tomorrow. I don’t really make resolutions, per se, but I do take stock, and I believe it’s important at least once a year to verbally acknowledge those things that remain important goals in your life.

Looking back now on that original vow, I think the only thing I might change is the time limit I set for myself. I don’t think the time matters because every writer grows and develops in their own way and at their own pace. It only matters how many words you’ve put on the page, and whether you’ve tried each time to make them better, and if you’ve put in the hard work and study that you must do to improve.

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful New Year’s eve and New Year’s Day. As for me, I’m planning on enjoying the three F’s—food, football, and fine reading.
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The Hero Problem

I recently read Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, the first in the Doc Savage series. I thought it was pretty bad. In fact, I’ve never been a fan of the Doc Savage books. I’ve read maybe a dozen or so and while they often have interesting beginnings, and some rather cool concepts, I’m usually pretty bored before the end. So I started to wonder why, and I believe I’ve figured out a major reason.

I just don’t like the character of Doc Savage, mainly because he’s just too damn perfect. Don’t get me wrong, I like for my heroes to be heroic. I like to root for the main character in a story, and I don’t root for true anti-heroes, such as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. But I like my characters to have complexity and at least some areas of gray.


Conan the Cimmerian, created by Robert E. Howard, is a good example of the kind of hero I like. Some call him anti-hero but I disagree. He certainly doesn’t always follow the rules of societies he finds himself in, but he clearly has an internal moral compass. He doesn’t betray a friend. And when he becomes king he indeed rules for the betterment of his people. He’s far from perfect, though. He was a thief when young. He’s ambitious, not above drunkenness, and has a weakness for women. These things make him far more human than Doc Savage and far more real. They also mean that he isn’t 100 percent predictable, as Doc Savage is.

There is one character who is pretty close to a true anti-hero that I do like, and that is Karl Edward Wagner’s Kane. But even Kane isn’t “quite” out for just himself. He has respect and liking for some people. He’s not just a vicious psychopath, which is how Hannibal Lecter was drawn in Red Dragon and through Silence of the Lambs.

I’d like Doc Savage a lot more if he ever had a lazy moment, or drank too much once in a while. Or, for goodness sake, what’s up with this “no women” thing? As I was reading this last volume there were several places where it talked about how Doc couldn’t allow himself to be weak toward women because he had such lofty goals. Reading it with today’s eye, I immediately thought, is he gay? Of course, many of these books were written in the 1930s and 1940s so they are dated in this way. But Howard wrote about Conan in the 1930s too and the character doesn’t seem nearly as dated.

A too perfect hero just doesn’t work for me. Give me a Conan type every time.

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For Lana

If I die tomorrow
I’ll call your name
From the dirt

I’ll sing this song
In the white;
In the smoke

And you’ll know
The last word I whispered
Love

The last name
I called
Yours

If I die tomorrow

Night of the Living Holidays

Like many bloggers, I’m going to take off a few days from blogging to celebrate the holidays. It’s also possible that I’ll head up to Arkansas to see my mom. She was put in the hospital for just a day, but they then took her to the nursing facility for a bit to get her physical therapy so she can come home. I’d like to be there to help out once she gets out of the nursing facility. But I also have to go back to work on January 7 so I need to go up before then. I’m still playing it by ear, to see when it would be best for me to be there. I’m not leaving until after Christmas for sure because I want to be here for that to be with Lana and to see my son, Josh.

I will post here if I decide to go, or when I decide to go, but I may not be visiting blogs for a few days anyway because of the holidays. In the meantime, I leave you with a review of Kolchak: Night Stalker of the Living Dead.

I was lucky again in winning a contest held by Christopher Mills over at Atomic Pulp, and he sent me the three volume comic book series that he wrote about Carl Kolchak warring with zombies in the corn fields of Nebraska. Chris wrote the books, and the art was done by Tim Hamilton. Dave Ulanski is the editor.

I’ve been a fan of Kolchak for a long time. I really enjoyed the original TV series, with Darren McGavin in the lead role. It’s one of the very few TV series I’ve ever caught all the episodes of. Chris perfectly captures the McGavin take on Kolchak, rumpled, cynical, a little brave and a little cowardly at the same time. If you like Kolchak and comics you should definitely like this three volume series. It’s available at Moonstone Books.

By the way, Chris’s Femme Noir series is also very good. In fact, I thought it was better than the Kolchak, and that’s saying something.

Until later, Merry Christmas to all. And to all a good night!

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Fire Ants and Mushrooms and Roses, Oh My

I have a series of posts related to writing that I’ve finished, but I’ve decided to wait until the new year to start running them. Get 2009 off to a rousing (writing) start, so to speak. In the meantime, today’s post is going to ramble a bit.

First, I’ll share a few pictures I took of our neighborhood yesterday. To begin with, there are two views of the Fire Ant nest at the end of our driveway. This thing has been growing and growing and is almost a foot high now. It looks like a freaking termite mound. I’m thinking atomic ant movie size here.



Second, this “field” of mushrooms are all “Fly Agarics.” They grow all over the place around us, and are particularly common in pine forests, which is mostly where we live. They are famous for being “magic” mushrooms, with hallucinogenic properties produced by an active ingredient called muscimol. This field is just across the dirt road from us, in our neighbor’s yard. There’s also a close up view of a couple of the fly agaric caps. They’ll kill you pretty quickly if you overdose on them.



Third, is a rose “tree,” not a bush, that grows down the road about ten yards from our mailbox. As you can see, the blooms are gorgeous, but this is not a typical thorn bush. I have no idea what its official name is. Most of the blooms are bloody crimson but one has a lot of white streaks in it for a nice contrast.


After finishing the book No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, which I thoroughly enjoyed—even the movie is very good—I chose a less challenging work called Bronson, by Philip Rawls, published by Manor Books in 1975. Less challenging is an understatement. It’s horribly written and is, as I suspected, a complete rip off of Death Wish, probably being more influenced by the movie starring Charles Bronson than by the original 1972 novel of that name by Brian Garfield. That novel is much better written by the way.

The main character, Richard Bronson, is an engineer, much like Paul Kersey of “Death Wish,” who is an architect. The Kersey character became a vigilante after his wife and daughter were attacked and killed by muggers. The Bronson character becomes a vigilante after his wife and “two” kids are attacked and killed by muggers. Paul Kersey had been a combat medic in Korea; the Bronson character here is an ex-Green Beret from Vietnam. There are many other similarities., none of them flattering to the actor Charles Bronson and the original “Death Wish” novel or film. Say what you will about Death Wish, the original book, and even the movie, at least tried to be about more than just grisly vigilante murders. This book doesn’t make that effort.

Most amazingly, the Bronson books were actually a “series.” Hard to believe they ever published more than one. The one I have is subtitled “Streets of Blood,” while the first volume in the series is apparently “Blind Rage.” There is also one called “Switchblade.” I’d almost like to see if the other two are as bad as this one, but even spending fifty cents on such literature might be impossible for me. I’ll have to see how I feel after a week or two of recovery.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Celebrate if you’re a mind to.
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