A Couple of Brief Updates

After news that the Library of the Living Dead Press had scuttled several anthologies, I've learned that there may be some hope after all.

The editors of two cancelled anthologies (Attack of the 50 FT Book and Beta City) are shopping around their anthos to other publishers. The hope is that someone else will publish, maybe at a reduced pay rate. I would be fine with that. The editors will have to decide if that's what they want to do. After all, they've read through the slush and accepted/rejected the stories. I have a feeling both editors will do everything they can to find a home for those books.

I sure hope they do. I have two stories on the line:

Gus and Mariel: Gus, a puffin who spent his whole life in captivity, falls in love with a bird named Mariel who arrives from the outside world. When she is suddenly taken away, Gus escapes and stumbles into radioactive goo that transforms him into a towering puffin the size of a building. Determined to reunite with his lost love, he unwittingly unleashes a trail of destruction across the United States.

Grisham's Council: Angry over the inability of earth's heroes to repel an alien invasion, Grisham ditches the resistance effort and prepares to strike on his own. But as the days grow darker, the hero realizes he's never alone: a dark force hunts him and the others, forcing Grisham to forge alliances with heroes and villains alike.

Then, of course, there was more bad news.

This month, Strange, Weird, and Wonderful published my short story "Old-Fashioned Police Work." I received an email from the editor this week informing me that the publication was going to cease publication. It's simply too much work with no profitability. However, the editor is going to publish two "Best Of" volumes and asked if my short story could appear in one of them. I granted that permission.

This is the second of my stories to be picked for a "Best Of" compilation. Wily Writers is going to do a volume of their best stories of 2011, and my short story "Absolution" was selected for that. I don't have a timetable on the release.

Library of the Living Dead

Well, not all news is good news.

It seems the folks at Library of the Living Dead Press are having some financial difficulties, and several anthologies are being cancelled. I thought two of my short stories ("Sparky Save the World" and "Gus and Mariel") would be published and in anthologies by now. Another short ("Grisham's Council") has been in perpetual flux for almost a year.

In an announcement on the LOTLD boards, the publisher says nearly all anthologies have been cancelled. It's too bad, but the publisher pays most of the costs on his own and we all know the economic climate is terrible.

The implication I get is that the rights to "Gus and Mariel" (a story about a building-size puffin) and "Grisham's Council" (about an anti-hero who unwittingly leads a revolution against an invading alien force) will be released back to me, as their anthologies (Attack of the 50FT Book and Beta City, respectively) are probably kaput. I received an email today saying that the Live and Let Undead anthology is going forward, which means we will see "Sparky Save the World" in print. We're hoping that will be some time before Christmas.

Most of this is speculation on my part...the publisher identified only three anthologies that would move forward (Live and Let Undead being one of the three, while Attack of the 50FT Book and Beta City were not listed). If I hear anything different, I'll let you know.

It's a shame this has to happen, especially since "Gus and Mariel" is one of my favorite stories. Once I get official word that the anthology is cancelled, I'll see what I can do to shop it around.

On the other hand, if this move saves LOTLD from going under, it's definitely the right move.

Live and Let Undead Almost Here!

The short story collection Live and Let Undead is nearly upon us!

Imagine what would happen if the zombie apocalypse ended up being less than apocalyptic. Zombies must co-exist with humanity! How would we do it? Would we put them to work?

My contribution is "Sparky Save the World" --

Harris and his bomb-sniffing partner Sparky work to stop biological weapons and other dangers from going through the nation's ports. Trained to detect hazardous materials, Sparky--an UNDEAD (UNnaturally DE-evolved Anthropological Degenerate) who used to be human--proves his ultimate worth when confronted with a massive, potentially catastrophic weapons shipment.

Fellow contributor Pete Giglio crafted a book trailer for the release, which is coming shortly. The best part is about 1:55 in. I kid, I kid.



Look for Live and Let Undead soon from Library of the Living Dead Press!

Attack of the 50FT Book Table of Contents

The all-powerful Table of Contents is now tentatively set for the Attack of the 50FT Book anthology from Library of the Living Dead Press. Editor Wayne Goodchild has kindly provided his TOC, which follows below. Edits are in the future for the authors; it's also possible the table of contents could shift slightly...though Wayne does not believe that will happen.

So, anyway, here's a look:

Fragment – Charles M. Saplak

Exploit All Monsters – Murray Leeder

Wizardrix Versus Sorcelator – Ben Godby

Award Season – Lorne Dixon

Chubby Cheeks – Suzanne Robb

Delbert the Destroyer – J.T.Riff

Renovations – John Michael Martin

Deus Ex Coccinelidae – Neil Morris

And Then There Were One – Steve Ruthenbeck

Hantu Bunuh – Klaus Mundt

Curse of the Earth Monster – Charles Day

Gus and Mariel – Matt Adams

Seven Wonders – Brandon Cracraft

Clean Up On Seventh Avenue – Bill Bibo Jr.

Wednesdays Are Triple Feature Day At The Odeon – Patrick Flanagan

All The Gods of Earth – Michael C. Lea

Congratulations to all the authors whose stories were picked for the anthology. When I learn more about the timetable for edits and publication, you'll hear it here!

Gus and Mariel becomes latest pub triumph!

The Peytonometer says "We have a winner!"

I received word today that my short story "Gus and Mariel" has been accepted for Library of the Living Dead Press' Attack of the 50FT Book anthology! The antho, as the title suggests, revolves around giant creatures that attack and destroy cities!

This will be my ninth story accepted for publication...bringing my story batting average (cue the stadium organ!) to .321!

Here's a brief summary of "Gus and Mariel":

Heartbroken after his beloved Mariel is taken away, Gus the Puffin accidentally steps into radioactive goo and grows to epic proportions. Desperate to find his lost love, he heads east, leaving an inadvertent path of destruction in his wake.

I'll provide updates as I learn more about the publication timetable and editing process.