Weird Fiction Review #7 by Centipede Press

Weird Fiction Review by Centipede Press is an annual journal that I look forward to getting (and being in) all year.  My poem, Nitokris, which is based off of the character from H. P. Lovecraft's Under the Pyramids and in Lord Dunsany's works, appears in this latest issue.

"The Weird Fiction Review is an annual periodical devoted to the study of weird and supernatural fiction. It is edited by S.T. Joshi. This seventh issue contains fiction, poetry, and reviews from leading writers and promising newcomers. It features original stories and essays by Steve Rasnic Tem, Mark Howard Jones, Jonathan Thomas, John Shirley, Nicole Cushing, Jason V Brock on David Bowie, a fabulous essay on the Micronauts by Chad Hensley, an article on Jack Finney by John C. Tibbets, newly discovered artwork by John Stewart, a lengthy illustrated piece on artist Mike Ploog by John Butler, a terrific new interview with William Hjortsberg by Dave Roberts, and much more."

Eternal Haunted Summer Winter Solstice Issue

My little poem, Venus, dedicated to the goddess as well as the planet, is featured in the Winter Solstice issue of Eternal Haunted Summer.  Enjoy!

Poems
Antlered Mother by Hayley Arrington
Artemis and Orion by Evelyn deShane
Brigantia by Hayley Arrington
The Cailleach’s Season by Jennifer Lawrence
Chor-Hani by Kim Malinowski
Horses of the Sun by Steven Klepetar
Kingly by Jennifer Lawrence
Krampus by Cynthia Anderson
Leda / Medusa / Persephone by Lynette Mejia
Lessons From the Goddess by Heddy Johannessen
Lunatic Moon by Angelica Fuse
Misrule at Yule by Sally Nemesis
Persephone Crosses the Styx by Neile Graham
Psyche’s Lamp by Sandi Leibowitz
Sacrifice by Brendan McBreen
Sappho and the Woman of Starlight by John W. Sexton
Spanning Years by Nick Carter
Spell for a Friend by Adele Gardner
Väinämöinen Sings by Jennifer Lawrence
Venus by Ashley Dioses
Whitchman by Liz Tetu
Wild Huntress by Robert Beveridge

Fiction
New Servant of the Hive by Gary D. Aker
Prometheion by Allister Nelson
Sepulchre for the Stolen by Gerri Leen

Interviews
Deborah Davitt, author of The Saga of Edda-Earth series

Reviews
Arc of the Goddess by Rachel Patterson and Tracey Roberts [reviewed by Evelyn deShane]
The Encyclopedia of Norse and Germanic Folklore, Mythology, and Magic by Claude Lecouteux [reviewed by Erin Lale]
Fairycraft: Following the Path of Fairy Witchcraft  by Morgan Daimler [reviewed by Evelyn deShane]
The Goddess in America: The Divine Feminine in Cultural Context edited by Trevor Greenfield [reviewed by Caroline Moran]
Icelandic Magic: Practical Secrets of the Northern Grimoires by Stephen E. Flowers [reviewed by Erin Lale]
Listening For Their Voices by Jennifer Lawrence [reviewed by Shannon Connor Winward]
When God Isn’t Green: A World-wide Journey to Places Where Religious Practice and Environmentalism Collide by Jay Weller [reviewed by Erin Lale]
Witch’s Moonstone Locket by Marsha A. Moore [reviewed by Juli D Revezzo]

 

Holy Day of Saint Lucy (Luciadagen)

On Tuesday, Dec. 13th, Kyle and I celebrated Luciadagen by baking lussikatter or Lussi Cats.  Lussikatter are buns usually made with saffron, wheat dough, and currants.  I don't like currants so we used cranberries instead.  They are then made into cat faces or into S shapes which represents the body of the cat.

(Before baking)

(After)

Saint Lucia is a complex figure with a multifaceted history. A bringer of light (in the form of a crown of candles) on the erstwhile darkest night of the year (according to the old calendar), she is sometimes called a witch, a leader of the Wild Hunt, and even has ties to Lilith and is a consort of Lucifer. The Luminous Stone edited by Michael Howard and Daniel A. Schulke, a book of essays on Lucifer in witchcraft, touches on Saint Lucy or Lucia and her ties to these matters.

(Kyle made Isthar and a goat [right] and I made a stag without eyes at first.)

(I decided to add the eyes.)

I also made three offerings of lussikatter in the shapes of two ravens and a stag head for my two patrons the Morrigan and Odin and then to Cernunnos for this time of year. 

(We got the recipe out of this book.)

(Shapes!)

(So I only had a rooster cookie cutter so I tried to form two of them into ravens.)

(Here are the two ravens and stag on my altar.)

(Close up.)

 

Season of the Witch edited by Amanda M. Lyons by J. Ellington Ashton Press

I have just received a copy of Season of the Witch edited by Amanda M. Lyons by J. Ellington Ashton Press.  I have four poems in this; Lover's Witch, originally published in Weird Fiction Review #5 by Centipede Press, Ligeia, originally published in Spectral Realms No. 2 by Hippocampus Press, Winter Witch, originally published in Winter Horror Days Anthology by Omnium Gatherum Media, and Witch's Love, also originally published in Spectral Realms No. 2.

Table of Contents

THOU ART NAMED A WITCH by Toneye Eyenot

Witchy Woman by Todd Misura

Blood Brine by William Bove

Witch by Matthew Cash

Stirring the Pot by Essel Pratt

Lover’s Witch by Ashley Dioses

DANCE OF THE GOAT by Toneye Eyenot

The Birth of a Witch by R. E. Lyons

Blood by Brian Barr

Conflagration by Sharon Higa

Ligeia by Ashley Dioses

The Sea Witch's Child by Sebastian Crow

Knight Pride, Witch Heart by Brian Barr

Eight Words the Witch’s Creed Fulfill by Tina Piney

QUAKE, FLOOD, FIRE by Toneye Eyenot

Winter Witch by Ashley Dioses

I Promised You a Show of Blood by Andrew Bell

Order of the Hidden Moon by Kevin Candela

Summer Vacation by Roma Gray

Witch’s Love by Ashley Dioses

Love you to Death by Samantha Gregory

The Sweetness Worth the Price by Dona Fox

A Weekend with the Powells by G. Zimmerman

Yablonski’s Bargain by Roy C. Booth and William Tucker

Nightscapes by Amanda M. Lyons

History of the Sorceress

(Ashiel by Steve Lines)

Kyle and I wrote a poem collaboration shortly after we got together.  It was entitled Sorcerously Twined and had three parts.  And that was how the Sorceress and Sorcerer manifested; their names, Ashiel and Xyre, would come later.  Sorcerously Twined, with all three parts, has 5,432 words.  It was originally published in an online zine called Dark River Press, where Kyle was a poetry editor for a time before it closed.

Sorcerously Twined tells of a Sorcerer who is in love with a Sorceress who was not in love back.  The Sorcerer planned to kill himself with a poisoned brew he created using plants from her garden, only to find out that by drinking it, he would be connected to her.  Their fates would be entwined.  If he died, she would as well.

In order to fix this, the Sorceress came up with a plan to summon a demon in hope that the demon would cure them.  At the same time, the Sorcerer recites a love spell.  The demon refuses to help and tells her that only they can fix their mess.  The Sorcerer finds his own spell that could save her but he would still die.  He does this and as he lies dying, she finds him.  His love spell had begun to work slowly and she instead, reverses the spell to die in his place.

Devastated, the Sorcerer searches her tower to find a way to bring her back to life.  He finds her grimoire opened to the page of the demon and he summons him.  The demon requires the Sorcerer’s soul in exchange for allowing him entrance into the Otherworld to find her soul.  Meanwhile, the Sorceress in the Otherworld awaits to be judged and reincarnated into her next life in a temple that she designed from previous lives.  Her life memories grew fuzzy yet a smell of rosehips reminded her of the Sorcerer and the poison he made.  She immediately began to scry for him.

The Sorcerer finds a guide to lead him to the Sorceress yet when they are about to part, the guide’s price is simply to eat a mushroom he procures.  The Sorceress saw this through her scrying mirror and knew this to be a trick.  Eating anything in the Otherworld binds their soul there.  The Sorceress then sent a servant of her own, oblivious to the servant’s own agenda, and the servant stopped the Sorcerer from eating the mushroom in time.

Unbeknownst to the Sorceress, a hoard of fae were ordered by the servant to kill the Sorcerer and guard the Sorceress’s temple.  A powerful demon, Vanth, then appeared to the Sorceress to tell her that her time had come to be judged for her next life just as the servant took the Sorcerer to Vanth’s abode.  Vanth had grown jealous of their love and she sought to kill the Sorcerer and send the Sorceress to her next life before they could be reunited.

After the Sorceress’s judgement, she found the servant, knowing the servant called the hoard, and interrogated her.  The servant revealed all and the Sorceress raced to Vanth’s temple.  The Sorceress saved the Sorcerer and they raced back to the portal between worlds before it closed.  Unfortunately, only the Sorcerer made it through.  The Sorceress used all her power to push through to the other side yet only as a wraith and she helped defeat the demon. The Sorcerer, however, was fatally wounded and died.  The story leaves off hinting that they may meet in another life.  

Diary of a Sorceress belongs to her and shows a few various insights into her life and her thoughts of this Sorcerer.  The Crimson Tome also might have sprung from a few seeds in this poem.  Aspects from this one long collaboration have found their way into both our collections.  This poem was the beginning of the Sorceress and the Sorcerer.            

(Illustration by Jesus Rodriguez)

Self Promo Stories: Authors’ Boldest, Cleverest & Wackiest Strategies to Sell their Books By Valerie Estelle Frankel

Self Promo Stories: Authors’ Boldest, Cleverest & Wackiest Strategies to Sell their Books

By Valerie Estelle Frankel has jest been released on Smashwords and it is absolutely free to download.  Authors share their experiences with what worked for them when they were vendors pitching their books. Kyle and I have a story in this.  We shared our first experience signing books at Rad Coffee.  You can download the ebook and read my story here.

"Looking for wonderful advice on self-promotion? This book has it all: silly hats, theme candy, sandwich board costumes. There's also plenty of up-to-date social media advice -- Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogging, KDP days, and more." 

Artist for Diary of a Sorceress!

The amazing talent that is Steve G Santiago has agreed to do 10 b&w interior artwork and a colored cover for my forthcoming poetry collection, Diary of a Sorceress!  I am so stoked!!!  What better combination than art and poetry??  He and Derrick Hussey are currently coming to terms and Steve hopes to start at the beginning of 2017 when he finishes up other projects.  I cannot wait to work with him!  If you are unfamiliar with his work, you can check out his gallery here.

Here are some of my favorites.

Yog-Sothoth illustration for The Gods of Lovecraft book. Sept 2015

1 of 3 interior illustrations for "The Account of David Stonehouse, Exile" published by Dim Shores

1 of 3 interior illustrations for "The Account of David Stonehouse, Exile" published by Dim Shores.

Revised Nyarlathotep illustration.

Original tribute art of H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands.

Weridbook #33 by Wildside Press Arrived!

I have just received my contributor copies of Weirdbook #33 by Wildside Press!  My poems, Bathory in Red and Blood Siren's Alcove, can be found within.

Table of contents

Fiction

The River Flows To Nowhere by John R. Fultz

The Amnesiac’s Lament by Scott R Jones

Trance Junkie By Bruno Lombardi

Bad Faith by Will Blinn document page 56

Dwelling of the Wolf by Franklyn Searight

The Ruby Palace by Jessica Amanda Salmonson

The Screams at the Keyhole by Garrett Cook

Diary of an Illness by C. M. Muller

Teatime with Mrs. Monster by James Aquilone

Train to Nowhere by Adrian Cole

Poetry & Prose

A Cure for Unrequited Love by Donald W. Schank

The Owl by S. L. Edwards

Bathory in Red by Ashley Dioses

Blood Siren's Alcove by Ashley Dioses

The Woodland funeral by K.A. Opperman

The Lady in Scarlet by K.A. Opperman

The Ghost Carriage by K. A. Opperman

Hymn to Shub-Niggurath by Darrell Schweitzer

NOCTUARY OF SFATLICLLP by Frederick J. Mayer

SFATLICLLP'S GHOUL by Frederick J. Mayer

NILE LAMIA RECALLS by Frederick J. Mayer

Project (Mini)

I have assembled roughly 55 poems to be in another collection.  This is more of a side project that will contain poems written in my teenage years.  I picked the poems I think are the best of that time period and the ones I think are salvageable and can be edited and polished.  This will be a strictly horror collection.  I created 4 sections: Nature, Supernatural, Psychological, and Physical (Body Horror).  I spent all day yesterday creating the sections and organizing the poems fittingly.  Now to edit them....  

Ravenwood Quarterly

I have just received an epic package containing issues 1 and 2 of Ravenwood Quarterly along with both Ordo Silentiums and an awesome patch.  I am glad I snagged one of the remaining issue 1's for I was unfortunately unaware of this publication when it just started.  My poem, Scarlet Autumn Aurora, appears in issue 2, which is a badass Halloween issue.  My poem is more autumn themed than Halloween themed.

These issues look absolutely amazing and I can't wait to delve through them.

Next Project?

As Diary of a Sorceress is being finalized and formatted and edited and all that good stuff to get ready for publication, I am contemplating my next project(s?).  Diary of a Sorceress encompasses horror, dark fantasy, straight fantasy, and some (dark) romance.  It is comprised of my favorite genres.  But the next two "diaries" I have planned I want to be a bit more focused.  I want one to focus more on horror and dark fantasy.  I want it more Gothic.  And the other I want to make pure fantasy.  Not dark fantasy (maybe though, because that's so damned hard to resist) but light, beautiful, epic fantasy.  Unicorns, dragons, kelpies, selkies, faeries, sirens, mermaids, all those wonderful creatures.  But all those creatures can be evil and dark, you say!  Yes, they can.  I guess what I want to aim for in that one is wonderment and adventure.  I want to write the kind of fantasy that made me become a  reader when I was little.

I have about 12 poems already written for the horror/Gothic "diary" but I have another side project I am tinkering with.  I have been writing poetry since I was in middle school and so, have compiled tons of poetry.  I have picked about 50 poems that I have found salvageable and actually like enough to consider editing them.  Now what was my poetry like as a preteen/teenager, you ask?  Decadent with lots of psychological horrors.  And more visceral.  There was hardly any fantasy, dark or otherwise, written during that time.  They were also not written as a narrative with a kind of story like the poems I write now.  They were definitely raw and full of emotion.  Anyway, I want to eventually publish and have out there a cool and different look at my poetry.  I would hate to be accused of writing the same old things.  If you actually want a look at what that kind of poetry would look like, I will post links to some poems I plan to include in it (after heavy editing).

Created and Pale Radiance (the first two poems I ever published!)  
Light Fades from Her Dark Embrace and They Shall Forever Remain (A revised version of Under the Chrysanthemums will actually be in DoaS)      
Paper Doll Displays, Dead Kings Rise, Frozen Tides, and The Porcelain Garden (Revised versions of Paper Doll Displays and The Porcelain Garden were going to be in DoaS but in the end I felt they were out of place theme-wise)

Black Wings VI Contract!

My contract for Black Wings of Cthulhu VI arrived!  This is the most awesome contract for a piece of my work I have ever received.  My poem, On a Dreamland's Moon, will appear in this book and is the first poem in the book!  I'm excited and hopefully, you are too!

Spectral Realms No. 5 by Hippocampus Press

I have received my contributor's copy of Spectral Realms No. 5 by Hippocampus Press.  My poems, Dark Poet of My Heart, Fallen Atlantis (dedicated to Donald Sidney-Fryer), and Ever Fair appear in this issue.  This is the second to last issue of Spectral Realms.  Unfortunately, Weird poetry isn't as popular as we hoped it would be and Spectral Realms isn't selling too well.  Issue 6 will be the last in the series.  I urge everyone who is a fan of Weird, fantastical, and horrific poetry to support this series.  Each issue is chalk full of amazing verse from a diverse group of poets.  Renown writers such as Donald Sidney-Fryer, William F. Nolan, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Wilum H. Pugmire, Jason V Brock, and John Shirley have appeared in these issues along with many, many other outstanding talents.  I can't recommend this series enough.  

The Audient Void: A Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy Issue Two

My poem, The Rotting Goddess, is featured in the latest issue of The Audient Void: A Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy.  I am a huge Scandinavian and Celtic myth and history fanatic and The Rotting Goddess is a visceral telling of the infamous Valkyries.  The Audient Void is only $7, guys.  It is totally worth it.

 

H. P. Lovecraft Film Fest Portland, OR 2016

Kyle and I took a 30 hour train ride to Portland from L. A. and man, was that intense.  We were joined by Michael Adams and Scott Connors, eventually, and that made it a lot more enjoyable with company.  We stayed at the amazing balladeer, Adam Bolivar's, house with his lovely wife, Erin, and son, Jasper.  When we recovered from the trip, we headed to the fest to get our guest badges and finally meet long time Facebook friends!  Dan Clore and Wade German were the first we met along with D. L. Myers who we went to have dinner with at the Moon and Sixpence.

(Left to Right- Adam Bolivar, Me, D. L. Myers, and K. A. Opperman)

After that, we headed to the EOD center and met my publisher, Derrick Hussey, for the first time at the Hippocampus Press table.  I was kind of nervous but he was one of the coolest people I met at this fest.  We all chatted and looked at the vendors while we waited for 10pm to come so we could start our panel.

(Derrick Hussey)

(Adam Bolivar and Derrick Hussey)

I was really nervous, this was my first panel ever, but I think I concealed it well enough.  I was surprised S. T. Joshi asked me to talk about my forthcoming poetry book; I was not expecting that.  I should clarify that my femme fatale series isn't only based on villains from Gothic novellas but Gothic, horror, dark fantasy stories in general.

After the panel we headed to the Lovecraft Bar with Derrick, Dave (D. L.), Adam, Kyle, and myself.

We actually didn't actually go in because it was pack, except Derrick, so the four of us went to a cemetery instead.  We checked out some cool gravestones and then headed back to Adam's house for the night.

Saturday morning started slow and we were a bit late for the author signings.  We just couldn't leave Erin's delicious handmade apple cinnamon rolls and frosting which made an excellent breakfast.  I received a phone call from Scott Connors who told us that Derrick was wondering where his poets were.  It was hilarious.  We arrived a bit after 10 and snagged a table.  The four of us actually didn't have any books to sell for the signing so Derrick gave us the Spectral Realms to sell.  Anything we sold we got to keep the money and that is how we all bought pizza for lunch.  It was awesome.  I even got to kiss a few books!  Whoot whoot!  

(K. A. Opperman, D. L. Myers, Dan Sauer, and Dan Clore)

(Wade German, D. L. Myers, K. A. Opperman, Me, and David Barker)

(Wade German, D. L. Myers, and Me)

So we headed across the street to Atomic Pizza but what would have been a five minute walked turned out to be like 30 minuted because we kept running into people to talk to.

(Molly Caitlin)

(Cody Goodfellow)

(Molly Caitlin, Me, and K. A. Opperman)

(Left to right- Dan Saur, D. L. Myers, Michael Adams, K. A. Opperman, David Barker, Adam Bolivar, and Molly Caitlin)

(Scott R. Jones)

After pizza, Adam, Dave, Kyle, and I headed to Lone Fir Cemetery with Darin Coelho Spring to re-film our interviews for the Clark Ashton Smith documentary we're in.  Originally it was just Kyle and me, so I was happy Adam and Dave were included in the documentary this time.  

(Mushroom ring)

(Darin Coelho Spring)

(Adam, Dave, and Michael)

(Kyle and Darin)

(Dave reading Song of the Necromancer)

(Adam reading Nyctalops)

(Kyle, Dave, Me, and Adam)

We went back to Adam's house to chill for a bit then had dinner at the Horse and Brass before we headed to the Brock's party.  Oh man, what a party!  Sunni made me a drink called the Black Nebula and that just set the mood for the rest of the night.  Amanda Wolfe unfortunately could not be here, for she was at another con, but left Sunni some homemade cordial for me to try.  We then had many shots of that.  A mixed berry cordial and a plum cordial, which were both very good.  

(S. T. Joshi and Dave)

(S. T., Jason V Brock, and William F. Nolan)

(Dave and Michael drinking Re-animators)

(Bill, Dave, and Michael)

(Jason and S. T.)

(Dave, S. T., and Derrick)

(Adam, Dave, and S. T.)

(S. T., Wade German, and Dave)

(Derrick and Jason)

(Dave and Kyle)

(Kyle)

I was having a great time feeding tortoises, having drinks, and chatting with all these fellow writers and poets.  We didn't leave until about 3am and we got there just after 8pm.  Oh, did I mention they live in Washington?  We went to two states on this trip!  That party was a blast.

We slept in and didn't really have to be anywhere on Sunday until later for our readings.  We had an amazing home cooked breakfast and then headed to Powell's Bookstore.  That place was incredible and I wish I had enough time to spend all day there.  After that, we headed to the fest for Dave and Adam's reading, with Jonathan Thomas.

 As Sunday rolled on, Dave and Wade German had to say farewell and head home.

(Wade German)

Adam had a panel at 6 and Kyle, Dan Clore, Dan Sauer, and I decided to get dinner.  We went next door to Sam's Billiards, had dinner, and discussed many fascinating topics.  We were joined by Adam after his panel and then wed headed back for Kyle's, mine, and Jason's reading at 8.  Jason and his dinner party ended up being a little late, so we started without them.  Kyle went first.

Carathis-  Spectral Realms No. 1 by Hippocampus Press

Lover’s Witch-  Weird Fiction Review #5 by Centipede Press

Witch’s Love-  Spectral Realms No. 2 by Hippocampus Press

The Perfect Rose-  Spectral Realms No. 3 by Hippocampus Press

Graveyard Blossom- Halloween Howlings by Rainfall Records and Books

The Abandoned Garden- Halloween Howlings by Rainfall Records and Books

Winter Witch- Winter Horror Days Anthology by Omnium Gatherum Media

Ghoul Mistress- HWA Poetry Showcase 2016

Medusa's Mirror-  Xnoybis Issue 2 by Dunhams Manor Press

Kiss the Stars-  Spectral Realms No. 1 by Hippocampus Press

Even Madness Cannot Hide-  Spectral Realms No. 3 by Hippocampus Press

Vexteria-  Spectral Realms No. 2  by Hippocampus Press

Horror-  Spectral Realms No. 1 by Hippocampus Press

The Glass Vial- The Audient Void: A Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy Issue One

Ligeia-  Spectral Realms No. 2 by Hippocampus Press

After the reading, we watched Scott Connor's panel on cults.

All good things must come to an end and we had to say farewell to many of our friends.  The next day we scrambled to pack and get ready for a last brunch at the Kennedy School with a few people we didn't get a chance to see at the con; Obadiah Baird and Blaine Stevens.

(Obadiah Baird and Blaine Stevens)

(Obadiah, Blaine, Derrick, Scott, Michael, Jonathan, Kyle, and Adam)

Then we split up and headed back to the train.