Our Authors, Zain Richard Bennett

Zain Richard Bennett was born in Bedfordshire, England in the mid eighties.  Spending much of his young life buried in books, he found a love for stories and words.   It wasn't until his mid teens, though, that he discovered the authors that would come to influence his particular style.  His fascination with words has led to a deep passion for poetry and language, seeding a habit of writing whenever inspiration strikes. Inspired by Poe , Lovecraft and Alghieri, Zain finds particular delight in tales of the odd and amazing.

His writing is fresh and inventive while still reminiscent of the brilliance of his influences.  His story, New World, was a delight to read and include in the anthology.  Here’s a little bit of it for you:

I heard that noise again last night, that ghastly rattling from behind that locked door in the tower. It sounded with a preternatural boom and self-dissonance while wholly unblemished by any hint of accord. I tried my best to not whimper nor respond and hoped my wife, as ill as she now was, would remain asleep in the room next door. It faded after a few short moments, seemingly disinterested by my lack of response. By this point, however, I had long surrendered any hope of sleep myself, though eventually I did manage to drift into a semi-daze of musing and memory.

Read the rest of his story and a number of other great pieces.  Pre-order your anthology today.

Our Authors…Wakefield Mahon

Wakefield Mahon is an up-and-coming speculative fiction writer.  His short stories have been published in anthologies from Daily Science Fiction, Sam's Dot Publishing, Poe Little Thing, Rymfire, and Living Dead Press.  His current series Sacred Stones explores the nature of storytelling, myth and legends across cultures and time through the adventures of a teenage heroine who must unite the weapons of legend in order to save the world from the ultimate evil.

His fabulous piece of short fiction in the anthology is titled Ex-Boyfriend.  Here’s a taste of it:

It watched her from the desk, mocking her, promising to ring if she took a step out of the door.  She took a deep breath and stepped out of her apartment.  She heard only silence.  She checked to make sure she had her keys.  She pulled to and checked the door.  She checked the door again just to make sure.  When she felt the hand on her shoulder, Lynn whipped around with her finger on the mace trigger.

This is a horribly haunting and twisted story so sparse and yet powerful that even when you see the ending coming, you’re still shocked.  We’re thankful to have Wakefield included in the project. 

Our Authors…Scott M. Goriscak

Scott began writing in high school but it wasn’t until a conversation with Clive Barker did his writing turn to the dark side.  Scott published his first collection of short stories, Grim and Ghastly in 2008.  He followed up with a second collection Dead and Decaying in 2009.  Also in 2009 his story “Home Sweet Home” was selected for the 2010 Masters of Horror anthology. The following year he was again chosen for the Masters of Horror anthology Damned If You Don’t with his story “Easy to Digest.”  Netbound Publishers will be publishing Scott’s third collection of horror to be release in October 2011 entitled Welcome to the Darkside-I’ve Been Expecting You. In 2012 Angelic Night Press will be publishing Scott’s fourth collection, Horrorism, and Netbound Publishers will be publishing his fifth collection, Walking

into Spider Webs. He is currently putting the final touches on his first novel, The New Jersey Devil.

Scott’s story in the anthology is “Field of Shrieks.”  It’s a truly horrifying journey that will strike you right between the eyes.  You can pre-order the anthology now for delivery in early November.

A Slight Delay

Dr. Cantalupo, who is the foremost expert on Poe in America (and maybe the world) active today is writing our introduction.  Unfortunately, a personal tragedy has prevented her from a timely delivery.

Dr. Cantalupo is the editor of the Edgar Allan Poe Review and a remarkable academic who has advanced the study of Poe throughout her career.  Karen and I have decided it would be better to let the anthology release be a week or so delayed than to miss the opportunity to have an introduction from this remarkable scholar.

We hate missing Halloween, but we'd hate putting out anything other than the best possible anthology.  We're still hoping to have everything wrapped up only a week or so late.

Please forgive the delay and if you'd like to send well wishes to Dr. Cantalupo, be so kind as to send them via comment here rather than to overwhelm her personal pages and email.

Thanks.

Our Authors Kerri Nelson

We’re excited to have Kerri Nelson involved in the Spirit of Poe Anthology.

Kerri Nelson discovered her love of writing at an early age and soon became a columnist for her local newspaper winning the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

After a fifteen year career in the legal field, Kerri fulfilled her lifelong dream of publication and is now an award winning multi-published author of nearly every genre under the sun (and moon) and also writes young adult fiction under the penname K.G. Summers. 

A true southern belle, she comes complete with a dashing, stately gentleman and three adorable children for whom she often bakes many homemade treats. 

Kerri is an active member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America as well as numerous chapters including Futuristic Fantasy & Paranormal Writers and the Kiss of Death Chapter for mystery/suspense authors.

Kerri Nelson contributed two poems to the anthology, Darkishly Yours and The Trials of Abby Normal.  You’ll enjoy them and you can preorder the anthology now for delivery in early November.

 Visit Kerri at www.kerrinelson.com

Our Authors: Jackson Creed

We’re excited about our mix of authors and stories.  Jackson Creed has written a fabulous story called “Gum for the Soul” and it’s another wonderful reason to pick up our anthology.

Straight from his website:  Jackson Creed writes dark fiction of various forms.  He lives in the deepest, darkest wilds of Europe. He rarely ventures out of his cave.

We’re glad he ventured out for this story.  Take a look:

With his horn-rimmed glasses and the way he pushed them up his nose with one finger, mousy-coloured hair, thinning slightly and patted carefully into place, and his nondescript grey suit, he fitted into the appointments of his drab office with a seamlessness that made him part of the furniture.  The contracts department was a place of paper and files, accumulating dust in the corners and dim light in the height of day.  A patina of city grime obscured what little view lay out the window, not that Joshua would have looked.  He was comfortable in his workplace, comfortable inside his little two-room apartment, cluttered with cardboard cartons, both old paperwork and the records of past deals, and the leftovers of solitary meals in the siren-cut darkness of the city’s night.

That’s fabulous atmosphere and powerful, descriptive writing.  You can reserve your copy of this story and the rest in The Spirit of Poe Anthology by pre-ordering a copy for delivery in early November.

Our Authors J.R. McRae

 

We'll be letting everyone know a little bit about each of our authors over the coming weeks. First off is J.R. McRae.

J.R.McRae, has short stories published in Basics of Life [Australian Literature Review], Rose and Thorn, Wired Ruby, 100 Stories for Queensland, Stories for Sendai, Tribute to the Stars and more, has won awards for poetry appearing in multiple journals and anthologies (e.g. Long and Winding Road, Square Poets, Recent Queensland Poetry, Quadrant, Antipodes Journal of Australian and American Literature, Social Alternatives, Divan, Gathering Storm, Ripples, Paper Wasp). Her artwork and photography features on covers of Ripples and in Micropress Yates/The Mozzie and ABC Pool.

Under the name J.R. Poulter, she authored 12 books & 4 digital books for children and education in the UK, USA and Australia, including Crichton Award winner, MENDING LUCILLE. Her 13thbook comes out September 2012 with Windy Hollow. She writes articles (WQ Magazine, The Courier Mail, Magpies Journal of Critical Review for Children’s Literature, Queensland Country Life and more) and takes workshops and readings for  ETAQ Conferences, SCWBI International Conference, Brisbane Poetry Festival, Kyeema Arts Festival [Arts Qld Funded], Channel 7 Family Picnic, Opening of BCC Central City Library, Mountains to Mangroves, Book Week and more. A former senior librarian, senior education officer and English Expression tutor to international postgraduates, she also once worked in a circus.  You can visit her site at http://www.jenniferrpoulter.weebly.com.  

McRae’s selections in The Spirit of Poe include The Mortician’s Art, a poem originally published in Ripples.  Here’s a taste:

The tracery of veins still blue, the skin …
No line or wrinkle, smooth as ice
Is cold – how old were you?
For whom do I apply my art?

Her beautiful and haunting short story, The Crypt, is also a welcome addition to the anthology.  You can expect wonderful prose such as this:

I bought the house next to the  old church and the  mass spread of graveyard that had cared for the city’s dead for generations. It was cheap and frankly, after a lifetime in a noisy city apartment with paper thin walls, I reckoned it would be bliss – way on the outer edge of town, no neighbours, church property one side and  graveyard on two others. It was quiet as, well, a tomb, for the first year. Then the noises, started, not the usual cat spat or stray dogs, not the odd night bird or even the  occasional teen spree in the graveyard. Eerie noises that seemed to come from far away, over the other side maybe.  I put it down to  some cult rituals or other. Didn’t really worry me. I told myself I wasn’t superstitious.

The anthology is filled with wonderful work by wonderful writers, and J.R. McRae is one of many.  Do yourself and the Baltimore Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum a favor and pick up a copy.  You can pre-order now for delivery in early November.

Our Contributors

We have put together a great anthology.  We received enough great stories and poems that we’re still looking at some for future anthologies.  If you have submitted a work and haven’t heard back from us, it means we’re still considering offering you a place in a future anthology.

The Spirit of Poe Anthology will feature stories and poems from (in no particular order):

Bev Vincent

William Holt

Aye Wollam

Len Hazel

John Charles Mannone

Kathleen Michele Wright

Rolli

Curtis James McConnell                                                                                      

Betty Lipton

Bill Butler

Joshua Scribner

Aaron Patterson

Michele Brenton

Curtis James McConnell  
Zain Richard Bennett                                                                                    

Wakefield G. Mahon III

Karen Rigley and Ann House

Melissa Eyler

Kerri Nelson

Pam Hawley

Angelo Dalpiaz

James WF Roberts

J.R. McRae

James Dorr

Berenice Wakefield

Jackson Creed

Guido Henkel

Adam Joffrain

Annie Neugebauer

M. Bennardo

Michael G. McGlasson

M.M. MacLellan

Noctavia Poe

Blaze McRobb

Cathy MacKenzie

Barbara McMickle

Scott Goriscak

Kincaid Savoie


This was a very rewarding project, and far more difficult than I imagined.  Thanks for everyone who has submitted, and feel free to email if you have any questions.

Contributor List This Sunday--Can We Get Thirty Pre-Orders By Then?

We have received remarkable submissions for the anthology, and we'll have a contributor list by Sunday.  I want to highlight one, though.

There’s a little bit of comedy in almost all great horror, but it takes a wonderful writer to satirize Poe while still treating him respectfully.  Thankfully, a wonderful writer undertook to do that.  Bev Vincent wrote a remarkable and very funny story called The Case of the Tell-tale Black Cat of Amontillado (with Zombies and an Ourang-Outang), and although he offered up “profound apologies to EAP” he needn’t have.  The story is wonderful, and we’re lucky to have it.  The story has so many references to Poe’s work that we lost count!  Look for a contest later on that challenges you to recognize them all.  I’ll give you a little taste, though:

“Dupin is my name. You may have heard of me.”

The man didn’t respond. He retreated into the house as if expecting Dupin to follow, so Dupin did. The front room was large and lofty, but even after the man threw open the heavy curtains, light struggled to render distinct the adornments within. Several musty, overstuffed chairs were scattered haphazardly around the perimeter. The bust of a Roman deity, Pallas perhaps, stood on a pedestal next to a desk littered with manuscripts and papers. The room had an overall atmosphere of sorrow and gloom.

Dupin’s host produced a pair of wooden chairs that he placed carefully in the middle of the room, as if by some design. He paid special attention to the location and position of his own chair, and smiled to himself once he was satisfied.

How many so far?  No fair counting all three Dupin stories as individual references!

We have other great works here as well, including poetry selected some time ago by the museum for a museum-sponsored time capsule.  We have stories from five countries and three continents.  We still have some submissions to get to as well.

Help us out, now.  We would like thirty more pre-orders to ensure that every expense is covered prior to the book’s release.  Pick one up for yourself or for a friend.  Thanks again for all of the support.