Fear of The Dark: An Anthology of Dark Fiction

I am thrilled to report that Fear of The Dark: An Anthology of Dark Fiction will be available soon! With an introduction by Paul Kane (Shadow Writer, The Gemini Factor, Hellbound Hearts) and the editorial prowess of Maria Grazia Cavicchioli (Return of the Raven) and Jason Rolfe (Nothing of Substance), Fear of the Dark delves into the fundamental fears that fill our collective hearts with dread.

Among the anthology's award-winning contributors are Paul Kane; Christopher Fowler; Lisa Mannetti; Mary A. Turzillo; Carol Weekes; Norm Rubenstein; Angel Leigh McCoy; Aaron Polson; Martin Rose; Mark Leslie; Charlie Loudowl; Adrian Chamberlin; Ann M. Pillsworth; Sandra M. Odell; Brian D. Mazur; Jason Muller; Brian Wright; Dave Ingalls; Mike Fudali; A. D. Spencer; and Eric Dimbleby.


I would really like to thank Maria for including me on this project, all the writers who submitted work (and made me work), and those mentioned above, whose stories both frightened and fascinated me. It was a wonderful glimpse inside the editorial world (a world I had, until this project began, feared and loathed with uneducated abandon.)

The book will be available early in 2011, and in my less-than-humble opinion will be well worth the price of admission. The stories included in this anthology are well-told and certainly embrace the fundamental fears that haunt us all.

The Coanda Effect

I just received two copies of The Coanda Effect, by Rhys Hughes. Published by Ex Occidente's Passport Levant, the book is a wonderful, highly collectible tribute to one of the most unique writers in the world today. I gave a copy to my sister and kept one for myself.

Rhys has an amazing ability to craft fascinating characters, from Castor Jenkins of Postmodern Mariner fame, to Dylan Thomas, reincarnated as a bus in Portrait of an Artist as a Rusty Bus (see Tales From a Lost Anthology, Tartarus Press, 150 signed and numbered copies, of which mine is 118).


Rhys pays tribute to the literary past, displaying an appreciation for the work of such varied authors as Maurice Richardson and Jorge Luis Borges. The Coanda Effect exemplifies this appreciation. The character, Corto Maltese, was the creation of Italian Hugo Pratt back in 1967. But Corto wasn't the character that inspired my purchase of two copies of this wonderful book. It was the dubious inventor, Jason Rolfe, who appears in the chapter entitled 'The Bicycle' that solidified my decision. In truth, as an avid purchaser of Rhys Hughes books, I'd have purchased the book anyway. But the fact that my name appears in his work simply iced the cake for me.

So thanks again, Rhys, for including me in your book! If your plans for 2011 come to fruition (and given your track record I have no doubts whatsoever) I look forward to reading the finished products!