I’ve been out of the loop the last couple of weeks. Wizard World Comic Con was great, our table was about ten feet away from Amy Acker’s, I met a lot of really nice people, sold a bunch of books, was even interviewed a couple of times. Unfortunately, during all of my glad-handing, I picked up an extremely unpleasant flu virus that hit me with five days of fever. Even now, a week later, I’m on the mend but still very weak.
It’s taken me a little while but I’m finally starting to catch up on things. Pictures from Comic Con are now available on my Facebook page. One of the two interviews I gave is now online, over at Press +1. The two best things about this con: seeing people come up to the table and pointing at one of the Felix Renn chapbooks and saying, “I already have that one!” And a couple of people who bought chapbooks coming back to the table later in the day to say they already started reading them and couldn’t put them down.
I found out that my Felix Renn story, “My Body,” and another short story, “The Candle” (that appeared in Shadows & Tall Trees), received honourable mentions in Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year, Volume 4.
In other news, I have seen the almost-final draft of the cover artwork for my forthcoming ChiZine collection, Every House Is Haunted, and it is absolutely fantastic. Ever since my book was accepted, I’ve been imagining what my cover was going to look like, because the CZP covers are always so incredible. Artist Erik Mohr didn’t disappoint, and I think you’re really going to dig his take on haunted houses. I should be able to post it here in the next day or two, and the pre-order info for the limited edition hardcover should be online around the same time.
A new Felix Renn story, “Out of the Blue,” has been sold to an anthology called Fungi, edited by by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Orrin Grey, to be published by Innsmouth Free Press later this fall.
I remember meeting Orrin Grey a few years ago at Readercon, and he told me about his fungus fascination. It was one of the first things he told me, in fact, and I recall smiling, nodding, and backing away slowly. Then he explained that he was interested in fungus-related stories (Hodgson’s “The Voice in the Night,” Lovecraft’s Fungi from Yuggoth, Jeff VanderMeer’s Ambergis books) and that it was his hope to one day put together a collection of them for a themed anthology. Well, it finally happened, and I’m very happy to be a part of it.
I’m particularly excited about “Out of the Blue” because it introduces a new character to the Black Lands universe. Jerry Baldwin is a smooth-talking real estate agent (and Felix’s sometime lawyer) who only represents haunted properties. Haunted houses, haunted apartments, haunted condos, haunted farms, etc. In addition to providing a bit of comic relief, Jerry is an example of the way ordinary people have adapted to live in a world where the supernatural exists as a part of their daily lives. In Jerry’s case, he tries to make a few bucks out of the situation.
Fungi will be published in hardcover, paperback, and as an e-book. The hardcover will feature some bonus material not included in the other editions. Very excited about this one!
When I say standalone, I mean that while this story takes place in the Black Lands universe, it does not feature Toronto p.i. Felix Renn. I love writing about Felix, and I plan to do so for many years to come, but you only get a small view of the world through the eyes of a single character. This new story is one of many that explores how other people in other parts of the world are dealing with the existence of the Black Lands.
“Day Pass” will appeared in the EDGE books anthology Chilling Tales 2, edited by Michael Kelly. The book isn’t scheduled to come out until February 2013, but I’ve got a couple of other announcements coming up for some things that you’ll be able to get your mitts on a bit sooner. Details to come.