Smash-hit Fear Itself collection book launch

Had a smash-hit launch on June 28 for my Lethe Press short-story collection Fear Itself at Perfect Books in Ottawa.

Professor Sean Moreland was, as usual, a gracious, thoughtful host who asked incisive questions in the Q&A. My pal Sean McKibbon did a stellar job as Carl in our reading of "Carl and Monty's Prairie Wager". Thank you, Perfect Books manager Michael and other staff for making it all happen. 

Turnout was phenomenal, including, astonishingly, the original members of my Little Workshop of Horrors writers' group and many friends I hadn't seen in a dog's age and even work colleagues. I was often moved very close to tears at seeing everyone. I also got to answer a question about my sister Kim Moran MacIntosh, whom we lost November 17, 2021 and to whom Fear Itself is dedicated.

I discussed grief, loss and ghosts in my work; my mentor and friend Hugh DeCourcy; my influences of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Clive Barker; notable queer spec-fic writers (Amber Dawn's Sodom Road Exit got a shout-out); the crucial role of queer protagonists baked into my work; the prevalence of Canadian wilderness in my work (the subconscious is the darndest thing ....); the impact of Peter Atkins and Glen Hirshberg on my vocation.

Been a long, hard road to get the book out, and way too much loss, so I am feeling very grateful for the support from everyone. Thank you so, so much.

Fear Itself Ottawa Launch June 28

I’m very excited to launch my Lethe Press collection Fear Itself at Ottawa’s Perfect Books on Wed., June 28.

Doors open, 6:00 p.m. 
Reading and Q&A, 6:30-8:00 p.m. 
Host: Dr. Sean Moreland.

Special guest: Sean McKibbon

Perfect Books. 258A Elgin St.
More accessibility via walkway from Somerset St.
Free.

Delighted to announce my host for the launch is none other than Dr. Moreland, aka Sean Moreland, my fellow co-founder of the Little Workshop of Horrors writers’ group, which we began back in fall 2012. In fact, most of the stories in Fear Itself Mr. Moreland saw in their nascent (or “drafty”, as we called them) form. I’m thrilled to reconnect with them after such a long absence of not connecting face-to-face. How I’ve missed them, and their perspectives. 

Fear Itself is a special blend of mainly horror, with a soupçon of fantasy and sci-fi with ten stories in all, which Publishers Weekly calls “unsettling”. But find out for yourself, fair reader.

Here’s Dr. Moreland’s bio.

Sean Moreland teaches at the University of Ottawa. Their essays, primarily focused on Gothic, horror and weird fiction in its literary, cinematic, and sequential art guises, have most recently appeared in Horror Literature Through History and The Oxford Handbook of Edgar Allan Poe. They recently edited The Lovecraftian Poe: Essays on Influence, Reception, Interpretation and Transformation (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and New Directions in Supernatural Horror: The Critical Legacy of H.P. Lovecraft (Palgrave, 2018). They are working on a monograph tentatively titled Repulsive Influences: 350 Years of Cosmic Horror and occasionally blog about weirdness at Postscripts to Darkness.

My Fear Itself collection on Audible

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Thrilled to say Fear Itself, my debut collection from Lethe Press, is now available on Audible! Another first for me, as mentioned at Saints & Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival.

Fear Itself is a special blend of mainly horror, with a soupçon of fantasy and sci-fi with ten stories in all, which Publishers Weekly calls "unsettling".

Many thanks to publisher Steve Berman for making it happen. 

Please check it out if LGBTQIA+, character-driven spec-fic with a literary bent is your thing. 

Working with narrator, industrious voice actor Gavin J. Annette was a blast. Message him on Insta and Facebook for promo codes.

"The 10 unsettling tales of Moran’s debut collection ably live up to the title ... Incorporating cosmic horror, Indigenous legend, and B-movie monsters, there’s something here to please any horror fan."

-Publishers Weekly

Quick Film review of Violent Night

Viddied the at-best questionable Christmas flick, Violent Night. 

Watching it, I was  thinking a) it's been a while since I've seen a slasher Santa flick (somehow, it7 remains a hard subgenre to succeed in) and b) dang! This movie is far more freaking fun than it  deserves to (or should) be, subverting Christmas staples and X-Mas film tropes, not to mention action-movie cliches. For good messure, it also maligns the very malignable (Editor's note: Is that even a word?) Hallmark X-Mas flicks. 

Spoiler: David Harbour's Santa Claus. John Leguizamo's the principle antagonist, looking older (Ed. note: Aren't we all?), but delivering beautifully

Utterly a pleasure, sans guilt.

Trigger warnings
The violence has violent tendencies, reaching splatter/slasher levels, although somewhat cartoony and it is played for laughs (i.e. The Evil Dead, I'm lookingatchoo) and accompanied by a rousing holiday soundtrack.
Nothing about the holiday is sacred in this flick. Every toy included in the movie either breaks, twists or subverts.
Bryan Adams' "Christmas Time" features in a scene that epitomizes, if not the spirit of Christmas, then the spirit of Violent Night.

Would watch again. But nobody's perfect.

Chaudiere Books Interviews Yours Truly

So if you are curious about how I got into writing (an early affliction) and influences and my ties to Ottawa’s CanLit and reading-series community, my pal poet/publisher/editor/writer/event organizer rob mclennan posted a Six Questions Interview: Chaudiere Books with me.

It was a long time coming. Early on in the pandemic, I wasn’t in the right headspace to do the interview, plagued by lack of focus and self-doubt and capricious mood shifts. But things shifted. I moved through many troubled times, including loss. These past three years, I moved from federal-government contract work to editing for Steve Berman of Lethe Press and, eventually, landed a day job I love involving books. I continually revised my second horror novel. Spurred on by interest from Steve, ultimately, I revised my spec-fic short-story collection, Fear Itself, now out from Lethe.

It’s been a long road, but I kept going. I was ready for the interview. I owe a thanks to rob for this piece.

And, I am grateful to Steve, hailing from the thriving metropolis of Greenfield, Massachusetts, for his interest.

Six Questions Interview: Chaudiere Books

Fear Itself Ebook for only 99 cents

Shameless sales pitch:
Fear Itself for only 99 cents! The first 99 people using coupon code CJ75N can get my debut horror, sci-fi and fantasy collection from Lethe Press for a great price. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1279646

My short-story collection Fear itself is out, at last!

Psst! I'm beyond excited to announce that my short-story collection Fear itself is out, at last! You can find it available on amazon and from ordering through indie bookstores and on the Lethe Press website. 

Fear Itself is a special blend of mainly horror, with a soupçon of fantasy and sci-fi. It includes nine stories in all, a ghost novelette, and story notes. Many of the stories are near and dear to me, written over the years, with some, such as the novelette, "A Canadian Ghost in London", first drafted whilst I lived in London, England back in 1998.

I am grateful to the fine work of U.S. publisher Lethe Press, which really is veteran accomplished writer and editor Steve Berman.

I have included some story descriptions on my blog somewhat recently, but this more-than-generous advance review from Publishers Weekly does a great job of describing it.

“The ten unsettling tales of Moran’s debut collection ably live up to the title, featuring monsters that will haunt nightmares. In “Glimpses Through the Trees,” a creature visible only out of the corner of one’s eye chases a couple as they desperately drive away. Terrifying whispers come from a couple’s baby monitor as they adjust to new parenthood in “Monitored.” Technology again serves as a vehicle for fright in “Burned,” in which an entity murders through digital video. Some of the stories are less immediately scary, including “Carl and Monty’s Prairie Wager,” a voicey take on a classic zombie story, and “Living Under the Conditions,” which presents a not quite apocalyptic scenario in which gravity and time fluctuate wildly. The collection ends on a high note, with the moving ghost story “A Canadian Ghost in London,” which explores love, loss, grief, and letting go. Incorporating cosmic horror, Indigenous legend, and B-movie monsters, there’s something here to please any horror fan. Incorporating cosmic horror, Indigenous legend, and B-movie monsters, there’s something here to please any horror fan.”
—Publishers Weekly

Can't afford it? Suggest your local library purchase it so you can borrow it.

Want to review it? Let me or my publisher know, depending which side of the Canada/U.S. border you're on.

https://amzn.to/3PGsMEb (amazon.ca)
https://amzn.to/3v1wJtV (amazon.com)
https://www.lethepressbooks.com/store/p635/Fear_Itself.html#/ (Lethe site)