It's crazy what you find when you google yourself. I found an old adventure that I wrote in 1997 for the game Psychosis, published by Chameleon Eclectic. I had forgotten about it entirely.

The adventure is called "The Gordian Knot." It makes me happy to find it again, kinda like running into an old friend.

Here's the PDF.

Hehe. On his website, Richard Dansky describes himself as a horror writer, game designer and writer, and general cad. I would agree with all of that, except "cad." He's one of the swellest guys around, a long-time game designer for both tabletop and video games. He's well-respected in his field and among other horror writers. He's got a huge fan base. Join us. You know you wanna!

So! When Richard asked if he could interview me, I was totally flattered. Please go read it, comment, and check out Richard's latest projects. He has a novel published called, Firefly Rain.

Read the interview now.

Stage & Canvas have released the second part of their review of the Ravens in the Library anthology (copies still available), including a review of my story.

Read the full review.

Angel Leigh McCoy – “Pipsqueak”:
While living on the street with her pixie friends, Pip meets a guy named Jackass, or at least that’s what his friends call him. While running from the men of the institution from which she ran away, Jack saves the day and she finds herself face to face with the black, red-eyed dog who has been tailing her.

This piece shows that normal and crazy are relative. With pixies named Dream and Delirium, it’s a nice little tribute to Neil Gaiman’s the Sandman. 4/5

I was recently asked by a friend of a friend to give some of my own history and some advice on how to become a writer. I thought others might benefit from it. :)

I'd be glad to tell you anything I can about the business of writing. I took a fairly standard route. I started by freelancing. The most important thing you can do is build entries on your publication list. That's how they judge you. At first, I had to write for free, but once I had some credits to my name, I started getting paying gigs. For awhile, I didn't make much at all, but as I built my reputation, I started getting higher paying gigs. Eventually, I was hired full-time for a company, doing writing for them.

I've always worked in the games industry, as that's my field of interest. I started writing for tabletop roleplaying games. My first publications were reviews I wrote for free that were published in a gaming magazine. Later, I was hired to write actual game material.

The life of a writer is not glamorous, but it is very rewarding. You have to really love what you do. You have to be a grammar and punctuation Nazi. And you have to read the stuff you want to write.

I'll be honest with you. You'll have to work your way up. Having a degree will not open the big doors for you, but it will open the little doors, and that will eventually lead to the big doors. If you want to write novels, then start writing and don't stop. Novel writing requires a great deal of dedication to your career.

If you want to write for games, then become as much of a gamer as you can. Play everything you can get your hands on. Read all the gamer e-zines, websites and paper magazines. Start writing articles for them and start getting to know the people who are the movers and shakers in the industry.

Most important of all: never doubt that you are a writer. Always say, "I'm a writer," with confidence. If you don't believe it, no one else will either. :)

Focus is very important. Set your sights and go after what you want. :)

The Wily Writers site has been nominated for two 2009 Parsec Awards, one for best short story and one for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology.

• the excerpt they requested for the award (limited to 10 minutes total)
  
  
• the whole story

One of the highlights for me of going to the Stoker Awards was that I got to meet Gabrielle Faust, a horror writer who has been on my radar a lot recently. She has published the first book in a series of vampire stories that I've heard nothing but good about. Her second installment is due out soon.

I picked up a copy of the book and can't wait to read it. And, there's a picture of me with Gabrielle.

• Gabrielle Faust's website: About the Book
  
• ETERNAL VIGILANCE (BOOK 1) trailer
  
• ETERNAL VIGILANCE (BOOK 2) trailer

Barnes & Noble has Vile Things in stock. You can get a copy online.

This is awesome. It's the first anthology I've been in that has made it into the mainstream bookstores.

Woo hoo!

We writers consider things like this celebration-worthy. Hehe.

Another review of Ravens in the Library has appeared. This reviewer is doing the book in two parts as well, since there are so many stories in it. Unfortunately, my story is in the second half, so I have to wait and hope the author does the second review.

Review by Xanga at Read More Books:

Ravens in the Library is a mere reflection of the love, compassion, and generosity that still exists in this rat-race world and the flame who casts light among the darkness. It's truly a magical book and suiting for the skinny white chick whose battle cry is "LOVE!". I think many of those who contributed in one way or another feel it's a small gift in return for all that Sooj has given, personally and professionally. That this is one book I will treasure for ever more is an understatement. The anthology is also one heck of an addition to a fantasy-lover's library and is a limited release. As far as I know, it's still available for purchase, I haven't heard anything saying otherwise.

I've been debating whether to review Ravens in the Library: Magic in the Bard's Name as one entity or two. Given its length of twenty-five short stories and some other tid bits, and the anniversary, I think I'll go for the latter. So here's the first half of the book I've been slowly savoring since its arrival in March...

What's an anthology in honor of a bard without song, or at least lyrics? With the book being titled after Sooj's song, it's fitting that "Ravens in the Library" is the first piece. Drawn from Neverland is also "the Wendy Trilogy". Suitingly side by side are the tantalizing "Creature of the Wood" with music by Heather Alexander and lyrics by Philip Obermark and Sooj's responding song, "Daughter of the Glade". Alexander isn't allowed to leave the stage without performing that trademark song, which has been one of my favourites since '97.

( Detailed reviews of each story in the first half... )

Excuse me if I do this in disjointed parts. If I didn't, it would get far too cumbersome and uninteresting. So...

The awesomeness began Thursday night with a tour of the Hollywood Forever cemetery. We had an ex-legal consultant to the stars showing us around. He took us to see the graves of Cecil B. DeMille, Rudy Valentino, Fay Ray, Mel Blanc and Lon Cheney. We walked among the graves of the famous and not-so-famous but extremely wealthy inhabitants, dodging sprinklers and swan shit. It was a blast. I'll have photos to show later.

Later, I attended a mass-signing at the Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank. Any of the writers attending the conference could sign up to participate. Dark Delicacies is a store dedicated to horror. It was creepy, ooky, mysterious and spooky, and hot and sweaty. The shelves were brimming with horror novels, books about horror, research material, picture books for the serial killer in all of us, Tshirts with bloody knives on the front and hack-n-slash purses that would make any horror girl go "squee."

I had to restrain myself from buying out the whole store. I didn't sign (as I didn't have any books there to sign), but I got plenty of other people's sigs. And I met some of my heroes including Ellen Datlow. It was a glamorous and spooky night. I'll have pix of this as well.

Friday, I attended a workshop with Deborah LeBlanc, a woman who is a force of nature, and I do not exaggerate. She did marketing for a living and is now a published author. She hails from the New Orleans area and has the accent to prove it, cher. She gave a lively and informative workshop on how to and how not to market your novels. I found much to ponder in what she taught, even though I don't have a book in hand (yet). I'm taking her teachings to heart. She has helped me to start off on the right foot.

More later, but I wanted to pass along the list of winners who were awarded Bram Stoker Awards on Saturday night at the wonderful banquet.

( And the winners are... )

Where to begin? What a whirlwind weekend it's been so far, and there's still a day and a half to go! I'm not sure how I could describe it without writing far more words than you'd like to read, but I'll give it my best shot.

What do you get when you bring 250 horror writers, editors, publishers, artists and filmmakers together in one place? Well, if you're me, you get sensory overload, lots of laughs, smiles galore, hugs, and anecdotes about people like Harlan Ellison, F. Paul Wilson and Stephen King. Basically, good times.

The horror began (and not in a good way) when I missed my flight on Thursday. Ack. The e-ticket I had said it was American Airlines, so I had the shuttle drop me there. Waited in line. The check-in kiosk, however, said I was at the wrong airline. That's when I noticed, in small print, that the flight was "operated by Alaska Airlines." WTF. By now, I've used up 30 minutes.

At the other end of the terminal, the Alaska check-in kiosk asked me to "choose my flight," but none of the flight numbers matched the one on my ticket. WTF again. Another 15 minutes chewed up.

I got in line for a real person. The real person told me she JUST managed to get me into the flight. Then, she said, "Oh, and by the way, you weren't checking any bags, were you?" Well... I had planned to, yes. She eyed my bag and said I could take it on the plane.

But, then there was security. I'm an hour later than I should be going through security at this point. I hit security and they pull my bag because I have 3 travel size bottles of liquid inside it. The lady says I have to take them out.

I schlep back to the front of the line, in my bare feet and remove my shampoo, conditioner and face lotion from my bag. I throw them away because... that's what I mistakenly thought she meant me to do. Squeeze everything else back into my suitcase and send it through.

15 minutes later, I'm allowed through.

And I have to haul ass to the train which goes to the other terminal. By the time I got there, the lady was shaking her head and tsking me. "We have been paging you," she scolded me.

"Can you book me on the next flight?" I asked. There was no point in trying to explain myself to her.

She got me onto a flight into LAX about an hour later. This meant I got into the hotel about 3 hours later than planned, but at least I got here.

From that point on, all has been a smooth ride. More than smooth. Wonderful. I'm having a blast. It's so intimate here, and people are so nice and welcoming. They invite me along with them for drinks! :)

My roommate for the weekend is super cool. Martel Sardina. She's from Chicago, and she reminds me a LOT of my longtime friend Caryn Luberda Gray, who is also from Chicago. They have the same accent. It feels a bit nostalgic for me, and as a result, I've been thinking about and missing Caryn a lot this weekend!

That's enough for now. More later. I am now going to work on my pitches for tomorrow. I'm meeting with two publishers and one agent. I plan to pitch my novel series and a Wily Writers anthology, so wish me luck!

Day after tomorrow, Thursday, I fly out to Burbank for the Bram Stoker Awards. I'm not receiving an award, but it's going to be an awesome weekend. At least one friend and fellow Wily Writer is up for an award. Joel A. Sutherland is nominated for Best First Novel. Wee!

They'll be broadcasting the ceremony live on the web, if you're interested in checking out what's what.

Go to www.stokers2009.org and click on "Live Video" for a live webcast of the event. The awards ceremony should begin sometime between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m. (Pacific time).

You might just see the back of my head in the crowd. ;)

I just discovered the Ravens in the Library anthology's Goodreads page. For those of you unfamiliar with Goodreads, it's a place to share reviews of books. You create a profile and can friend people.

There are a number of reviews up there. One in particular made me blush with pleasure.

Steven gave the book 4 stars and said:

While there were a few stories that just didn't speak to me, this anthology (on the whole) is quite good. As usual, the de Lint and Gaiman stories were my favorite of the bunch, but other standout authors/stories (IMO) were Terry Windling, Shira Lipkin, Angel Leigh McCoy, SatyrPhil Brucato, Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg and Laurel K Hamilton. It definitely makes me want to pick up a Sooj Tucker CD and hear the vocals to go with some of her lyrics.

Hee!

I went out to Crypticon last night and had a wonderful time. I hung out with my new friend, a wily writer named Jennifer Brozek, who is super awesome. Her husband was there too, as was my wily buddy Nate Crowder. It was all about the Wily Writers.

The three of us read our work in front of a small, but attentive and appreciative audience.

The dealers' room was full of vendors selling horror paraphernalia, mementos, books, videos, etc.

The horror convention continues today and tomorrow. I highly recommend going down to the Seattle Center Northwest building and checking it out. If for no other reason than that there are some very attractive people all dressed in their horrific finest.

The con opens today at 11AM. Crypticon Schedule.

SAMPLING:

• Pure Cirkus – Magicians and acrobalancers performing all over the convention grounds throughout the day, with a fire show after dark.
  
  
• Panels:
  
  
  • Hollywood Effects Experience: Brian Sipes and Doug Jones
    
    
  • The Top Ten Horror Films Every Horror Fan Should See. Hosted by Sean Smithson and Shade Rupe
    
    
  • Phantasm Panel featuring Don Coscarelli, Bill Thornbury, Reggie Bannister, Kathy Lester
    
    
  • The FOG Panel featuring Tom Atkins, Adrienne Barbeau, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes
  
  
• Films:
  
  • Northwest Films - featuring local Horror Movie Makers talking about their Films and Projects new and in the works. Including “Book of Zombie”, “Zombies of Mass Destruction”, Gravestone Entertainment, The Beta Society, Maelstrom Productions, Byron C. Miller and more…
    
    
  • PONTYPOOL from IFC’s Midnight movies. Check out the trailer another ‘must see’ from IFC
  
  
• Gareth von Kallenbach from Skewed and Reviewed - Learn about all the great genre films coming out soon. News so fresh you can’t find it online.
  
  
• Writers:
  
  • Carlton Mellick III “The Brutally Evil Satan Show” this has to be seen to be believed!
    
    
  • William F. Nolan Reading - the legendary writer of nearly 70 books
    
    
  • Bizzaro - Reading Event presented by Eraserhead Press.
    
    
  • Bob L. Morgan Reading
    
    
  • Michael Montoure Reading
  
  
• Costume Contest and Dance Extravaganza - Show off your costume and walk the Horror Costume Run Way! Win Prizes for Best Costumes!

Ripley Patton has had a short story posted at Semaphore Magazine.

I'll let an excerpt speak for it. :)

Someone knocked on glass and Marty lifted her head to see a tall woman with long, white hair peering at her through her driver’s side window. It was a woman she’d seen in the paediatrician’s office, waiting alone, without a child. While Marty’s baby had screamed and writhed in her lap, this woman had hidden behind a tattered Cosmo, pretending not to notice. She had sunglasses on now, and she wasn’t smiling. Marty rolled down her window as the baby began wailing from the back, his cries even more aggressive than usual as he railed against the bondage of his car seat. She braced herself. The woman was going to accuse her of child abuse; if Marty’s own mother could think it, why not a complete stranger?

“I’m sorry to bother you but I noticed your baby in the doctor’s office. I know how hard it is. Don’t give up.”

“What?” Marty asked, dazed.

“My sister, she had a baby like yours. He cried all the time. It was very hard on her. I wanted you to know, you’re not alone.” The woman looked expectantly at her but Marty had no idea what to say. “They told you it was colic, right?” the woman finally asked.

“Yes.”

“They told my sister that too. Told her he’d grow out of it. Eventually.”

“And did he?”

“No,” said the woman, her slender fingers fluttering at her glasses, as if she might take them off, but she didn’t. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“What are you going to do about your baby?”

“I – nothing. I mean, what can I do?”

“Well, there are other women like you, with difficult babies. It might help to meet some of them. Things are always harder when we think we’re alone. I can imagine what it must be like to look at your child, at that livid face, and . . .” The woman’s voice trailed off, her head tilting away.

“And know it isn’t yours.” Marty wasn’t sure she’d said it out loud.

“Yes.” The older woman exhaled, stepping closer to the window and finally taking her glasses off. “You know,” she whispered. She pulled a card out of her purse and handed it to Marty. “My name is Corrigan French. This is my card. I run a special programme for mothers in your situation, mothers who can’t find the help they need through the normal channels.

Read the whole story in the June 2009 issue of Semaphore.

It's coming! The anthology Vile Things: Extreme Deviations of Horror is on its way.

This won't be a book for the weak of heart or stomach. I know the story I have in it is definitely not for every reader. You have to like being horrified and even grossed out. There are those of you out there who will, I know, devour the stories in this book and then beg for more. You know who you are. ;)

(Um, order your gruesome copy here. Free shipping in the US until July 1.)

*doing my happy dance!*

How cool would it be to collaborate with this guy on a fairy project? He's amazing.



Larry MacDougall

I scalped the following from editor jennifer_brozek's LJ. I'm really looking forward to this book. :)

Spread the word about the Grants Pass pre-order link during the week of 29 May and 6 June and link your post to the original contest entry (http://jennifer-brozek.livejournal.com/50584.html) and win a prize. This prize includes stuff from Grants Pass city, a letter from Kayley Allard and other neat stuff. Please note that if you win this prize you will need to email in your postal address.

The GRANTS PASS anthology is available for pre-order from Morrigan Books at http://www.morriganbooks.com/?page_id=172

Feel free to add the book trailer and/or any of the blurbs found on the review site.

Woo Woo! Angel Station! All passengers must depart the train! We've arrived at the final stop on Joan De La Haye's blog tour.

Joan writes to us:
I tend to wake up in the middle of the night, or come running out of the shower, when inspiration strikes. Angel thought that sharing one of these middle of the night sessions (right) with you would be fun. She also thought she'd be extra greedy and convinced me to share what that same passage looked like during the editing process with my editor, Jayne Southern, and what the final version in the book looks like.

So here is the progression of one section of 'Shadows'. I hope you enjoy it.

My wonderful editor's, Jayne Southern's, changes (editor's changes in red):

~ Chapter 12 ~

I woke up curled around the base of the toilet. The lines of the tiles were imprinted on my cheek. My stomach made its presence known by forcing me to empty out what-ever was left inside me. I threw up once again. (My life was turning into one big purge fest. tautology?) A pattern was starting to emerge. Nightmare. Purge. Nightmare. Purge. Nightmare. Purge. It was a little monotonous.

All I could hear was an insistent, demanding knocking. It took a few moments to realise the knocking, echoing around in my head, was actually coming from my front door again. The knocking irritated me.

I struggled to my feet, managed to stand and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It was not a pretty sight. I looked as though I’d been on a hectic drinking binge followed by a few rounds with Mike Tyson. I forced the nausea back down into the pit of my stomach. The knocking grewot louder and more insistent. I waddled out of the bathroom still wearing last night’s clothes. My vision was blurry. All I could see was a shadow through the frosted glass of the front door. I opened it slowly. Every part of my body ached.

The final passage after editing:

~ Chapter 12 ~

I woke up curled around the base of the toilet. The lines of the tiles were imprinted on my cheek. My stomach made its presence known by forcing me to empty out whatever was left inside me. My life was turning into one big purge fest. A pattern was starting to emerge. Nightmare. Purge. Nightmare. Purge. Nightmare. Purge. It was a little monotonous.

All I could hear was an insistent, demanding knocking. It took a few moments to realize the knocking, echoing around in my head, was actually coming from my front door again. The knocking irritated me.

I struggled to my feet, managed to stand and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It was not a pretty sight. I looked as though I’d been on a hectic drinking binge followed by a few rounds with Mike Tyson. I forced the nausea back down into the pit of my stomach. The knocking grew louder and more insistent. I waddled out of the bathroom still wearing last night’s clothes. My vision was blurry. All I could see was a shadow through the frosted glass of the front door. I opened it slowly. Every part of my body ached.

Angel's final comments:
I just want to remark that any novel you read (anyone's novel) has gone through a long, strenous and tedious process of writing, revising, editing, revising and re-revising, and revising, prior to landing in your lap. I know of no writer from whom a novel flows without flaws. The true challenge for any writer is in the honing, and the mark of a great writer is someone who can take a grain of sand and turn it into a pearl.

Thanks so much, Joan, for including my blog on your tour! :)

Joan's next novel will be out sometime next year, I believe. It's a sequel to Shadows.

Learn more about Joan, her writing, and her life at the Wily Writers site, where there are links to her novel, her blog and her website. You can also read or listen to a short origins story about the character in the excerpts above, "Jack's Lament."

There's a review of Ravens in the Library, up on the It's Entertainment blog.

The author reviews the first half of the book and writes a wonderful essay about the project in general. My story is not reviewed in this first half, but he does go through story by story, including a concise overview, a numeric (X out of 5) rating, and quotes from the stories that he liked.

I look forward to reading what he has to say about my story when the second half of his review is posted.