Issue #16 (January 2012)

The Epitaph
Journal of the New England Horror Writers (NEHW)

The NEHW Board of Directors:

Tracy L. Carbone – Co-Chair
Stacey Longo – Co-Chair
Dan Keohane – Treasurer
Jason Harris – Director of Publicity/Webmaster
Tim Deal – Director of Publications
T.J. May – Co-Director of Events
Scott Goudsward – Co-Director of Events
Danny Evarts – Art Director

NEHW NEWS

It was announced on Jan. 21 that Epitaphs, the first NEHW anthology, was included in the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Anthology. According to the Bram Stoker Award rules on the Horror Writers Association’s website, Epitaphs will be on the final ballot, but cannot be called a “Stoker Nominated” collection until after the final ballot is announced on Feb. 18.

NEHW WRITING WORKSHOP:

WORCESTER, MA— NEHW is hosting a writing workshop at Annie’s Book Stop on 65 James Street in Worcester, MA on Saturday, February 4 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. The class is geared towards beginning to intermediate writers interested in bettering their writing and editing abilities while exploring all the “what now?” possibilities for publishing.
The class will be taught in three parts: writing, editing, and publishing; offer a bagged lunch; and include a professional critique of up to 2000 words of registered attendees’ manuscripts.
Attendees will learn under three professional members of the New England Horror Writers. Kristi Petersen Schoonover is a three-time Norman Mailer Writers Colony Winter Resident; her short fiction has appeared in Carpe Articulum, The Adirondack Review, Barbaric Yawp, New Witch Magazine, Toasted Cheese, and others. Her most recent work, Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole, is a collection of ghost stories set in Disney Parks. T.J. May is a writer of dark fiction, daylighting as a behavior therapist to children with autism. He is a regular contributor to Shroud Magazine, co-founder of SUMM Publications, an active member of the HWA and Co-Director of Events for the New England Horror Writers. Trisha J. Wooldridge is the President of Broad Universe, an international non-profit dedicated to celebrating and promoting women who write speculative fiction. She’s contributed to several anthologies, including the EPIC-award-winning Bad-Ass Faeries series, is an associate editor for Spencer Hill Press, and freelance writes and edits for magazines, independent authors, and academic websites.
As this is the first workshop offered at the 65 James Street Annie’s, there is a special price of $30 for the course, or $25 for members of New England Horror Writers, Worcester Writers Collaborative, or Worcester college students. Attendees will need to pre-register either at Annie’s and will have to turn in their manuscript for critique no later than January 27. Seating is limited to 21 attendees. Walk-ins, if there is space, must pay full price and will not have a reserved bag lunch nor will they get the professional critique—but they are eligible for class critique.
For more information, contact Annie’s Book Stop via www.anniesbookstopworcester.com or email anniesbookstopworcester@gmail.com. The phone number for the store is 508-796-5613. Space is firmly capped, so register now!
For more information about the event and all media, contact: Trisha Wooldridge, trish@anovelfriend.com, 774-239-3655.

NEHW SIGNINGS AND READINGS:

Queen City Kamikaze Convention, Manchester, NH

The NEHW will be involved at the Queen City Kamikaze Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire on Saturday, Feb. 18. The convention’s website is http://queencitykamikaze.com/. Email Jason Harris at dudley228@gmail.com if you would like to participate. There will be three tables, so there’s room for 15 people. Nine spots have been taken so far. There is no cost to participate.

The 39th Heritage Craft Fair, Framingham, MA

The NEHW will have a table at the 39th Heritage Craft Fair at the Keefe Technical School in Framingham, MA on Sat., March 24. Space is limited at the table so contact Jason Harris at dudley228@gmail.com to participate. Participation will be $15.

Spring Craft Fair

The NEHW will have a table at the Spring Craft Fair at Riley Hall, 17 Silver St., Hanover, MA. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on March 31. Participation will be $10.

Stratford Spring Showcase of Crafts

The NEHW will have a table at the Stratford Spring Showcase of Crafts in Stratford, CT., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 7. Participation will be $15.

NEHW REQUEST:

Attention Members:
Please take the time to send me your website address to be listed on the NEHW website. It should be your main site. Please send an email to dudley228@gmail.com with “website” in the subject line.

NEHW MEMBER NEWS:

From The Dome:

A few months back I met with your group and mentioned Sci Fi Saturday Night and what we do and casually asked if there might be some interest from the group in using our vehicle to help promote their works. Since then, the response from NEHW has been wonderful and it has resulted in a great time for may of your writers in the past 3 months.

Book Reviews on our site have showcased the work of:

Kristi Petersen Schoonover
Rob Watts

Our Fiction Friday column has featured:

Stacey Longo – “Private Beach”
Bob Bois – “Avenging Angel”
Craig D.B. Patton – “Aftershocks”
Kristi Petersen Schoonover – “Screams Of Autumn”

We have done Podcast interviews with:

Rob Watts
Kristi Petersen Schoonover
Kasey Shoemaker

I would like to thank all the wonderful authors who have participated so far. I hope their experience was enjoyable and I invite you to check out the site and help us promote you. Please feel free to contact me at the_dome@comcast.net for any of your upcoming projects.

From John Grover:

Grover announces Creatures and Crypts, his sixth short story collection.

This book contains something for everyone from shambling zombies to vengeful ghosts, the Grim Reaper and monsters that only inhabit the authors’ imaginations. This collection includes new and previous published material along with the second place winner of the New Bedlam short story contest “Unknowable.”

Available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Creatures-and-Crypts-ebook/dp/B006R0IVRG/ref=sr_1_1?s= digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325284684&sr=1-1

Or Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/119895

Also, Grover has a free story up on Amazon entitled “The Disembodied.” It’s part of Creatures and Crypts and is a free sample for the Kindle. Download here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Disembodied-ebook/dp/B006FQDV9U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digitaltext&ie=UTF8&qid=1327537140&sr=1-1

He would like to mention his digital chapbook, “Revenants,” co-written with author R. Thomas Riley. It’s a sampler of some of their collaborative stories, which are all about the undead in their many forms. It contains a sneak peek of their upcoming novel, If God Doesn’t Show, coming this year by Permuted Press. Check it out here:
http://www.amazon.com/Revenants-A-Digital-Chapbook-ebook/dp/B006FRP0KC/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327458518&sr=1-6

You can always visit Grover’s website for more titles, his photo gallery and lots of fun links: www.shadowtales.com.

From Trisha Wooldridge:

UnCONventional, which was edited by Wooldridge and Kate Kaynak, was released this month by Spencer Hill Press at the Arisia convention in Boston. The collection also includes a story by Wooldridge.

This anthology contains 22 original stories including the craziness of ComicCon to the seeming mundane “rah-rah” insurance conference. Some of us always knew there was more than meets the eye happening at conventions, these stories reveals the truth attendees always suspected.

The convention is just a cover. Aliens hold ascensions in hotel ballrooms. Mermaids make clandestine plans under cruise ship photo conferences. Werewolves enter dog shows. There are steampunk fairy time travelers coming to your Dragon*Con. A teenage superhero has to hitch a ride with a super villain for their Super conference. Some comics are more absorbing than you think.

The book comes in paperback and e-book formats:
http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/UnCONventional.html

From Thomas D’Agostino:

D’Agostino is in the process of writing a new book. It is based on historical accounts in RI. As it progresses more will be available throughout the year; this is the first novel he is attempting to write.

From Craig D.B. Patton:

Patton is pleased to announce that his short story, “Last Testament”, has been accepted for publication in Supernatural Tales. His story, “Aftershocks,” has just been reprinted in Future Imperfect: Best of Wily Writers, Volume 2 (Wily Writers). The book is available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A dizzying range of e-book formats are available at Smashwords.com.

From Dale Phillips:

Phillips has published two e-book horror story collections:
Halls of Horror #1
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/119047

Halls of Horror #2
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/119086

From Stanley Wiater:

Wiater is pleased to report that his first two collections of exclusive interviews are now available as e-books for both Kindle and Nook platforms: Dark Dreamers: Conversations with the Masters of Horror (1990) and Dark Visions: Conversations with the Masters of the Horror Film (1992). The former was a Bram Stoker Award winner and the latter a Bram Stoker Award winner finalist. Classic interviews with Stephen King, Anne Rice, Clive Barker, Richard Matheson, Wes Craven, Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon to name a few. There are interviews with nearly 50 authors and filmmakers in all.

From Andrea Perron:

Perron has been busy doing several interviews, including a forthcoming segment on WJAR, Channel 10, in Providence, Rhode Island. R.J. Heim, the feature reporter, is creating a four-week series of reports based on the paranormal, all of which will be airing during February. The interview was conducted on Skype, as she is currently in Georgia.

The next six weeks are booked solid with a variety of meetings, interviews and appearances. Meanwhile, she is preparing Volume Two of House of Darkness House of Light for release in the spring. All of the radio interviews are posted on her author’s Facebook page and the television interviews will be uploaded on YouTube.

The film, which will contain elements of this true story, is just weeks away from shooting and will likely undergo a name change, though it has spent the last two years of development with the working title The Conjuring. It is based upon the investigation of her home and subsequent case file compiled as well as the personal memoirs of Ed and Lorraine Warren. The principle characters have been cast in the last couple weeks and New Line Cinema is full steam ahead with the project.

From Robert Heske:

Heske reports charitable anthology, One and Done, from InvestComics (www.investcomics.com) is now available for purchase. The anthology is a collection of 1-page graphic tales of various genres (horror, super hero, fantasy, comedy) that have one common connection—they all end in death! Heske was editor and also contributed two tales and a 4-page graphic tale in the “Killer Extras” section. The book is $6.99 and all proceeds go to support the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. InvestComics is supporting the book with a series of creator interviews, the first can be read here:
http://investcomics.com/features/one-and-done-dual-interview-arno-hurter-and-david-edwards

Heske would appreciate it if you would share the link for the book’s online website, write a favorable review or pick up a copy. Here is the link:
http://investcomics.com/features/one-and-done-dual-interview-arno-hurter-and-david-edwards

Heske’s original graphic novel, The Night Projectionist, will be in the April Diamond Previews and available in stores everywhere in the Spring. You can follow tweets on the book on Twitter at #whoisthenightprojectionist.

From Stacey Longo:

Longo is offering copy-editing services to NEHW members at a reduced rate of $1.50 per 250 words. Contact her at staceyblongo@gmail.com for further information.

Longo was recently interviewed on the Scary Scribes podcast about her short story, “People Person,” which originally appeared in the Dark Things IV anthology. You can listen directly from the Paranormal, Eh? Radio Network here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paranormaleh/2012/01/29/scary-scribes

From Chris Irvin:

Irvin wants people to know that his new home for dark fiction and weird flash stories is www.HouseLeagueFiction.com.

From Daniel G. Keohane:

Keohane announces the official release of his newest and darkest horror novel, Destroyer of Worlds, on Monday, Jan. 30.

The blurb: Corey Union’s world is about to end. Around every corner lurk the inevitable signs of a coming doomsday. Corey moves his wife and daughter to a new home nestled in the woods…but nothing is what it seems in this man’s world. Elderly sociopath Hank Cowles and his little dog take a deadly interest in the Union family. Beautiful recluse Vanessa believes she is Corey’s only chance for survival, even if saving the man means destroying his family, and his sanity, forever.

The book is available in trade paperback for $12.99 and on the Kindle for $2.99
(the e-book version is Kindle-exclusive for now).

From Erin Underwood:

“Totentanz,” co-authored by Underwood and Nancy Holder, has been accepted into the Danse Macabre anthology edited by Nancy Kilpatrick, which should be published later this year.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:

Terry Harmon (NH)
Hannah McLamb (NH)
Scott Davis (RI)

– Jason Harris, Editor, the Epitaph: Journal of NEHW
– Stacey Longo, Assistant Editor, the Epitaph: Journal of NEHW