I would
be remiss not to start by letting Robert know that I am most grateful for him
asking me to send something over for his website. Some of you may know I am a
big fan of Robert's writing, so be sure to check out his body of work. Now that
I've done that much, on to my post...
Last
year, when I had grown wary of editing and rewriting the same stories over and
over again, I asked my wife, "What am I going to do with all of these old
tales?"
She
looked at me as she always does, reassuring me I would figure out what to do.
And I
did. I took them all, wrapped them up in a neat little cover, and declared an
end to the first chapter of my writing career. Although I list Distressed Press
(what once was to become my own small press until I decided I didn't have it in
me) as the publisher, I do not hide the fact I have self-published this
collection of short fiction. In fact, all of my children books are also
self-published.
Why
would I go and do a thing like that you might ask? That is a fair question and
I suppose I do have some regrets about it. At the time, I was putting my best
foot forward, taking an accumulation of what I knew and threading it together.
I've since revisited the collection three times to tweak things and often dream
of reworking the entire project. Yes, I am a bit neurotic in that way I guess.
It
isn't that I feel I've failed, but that I know I can do better. But the primary
reason behind THESE OLD TALES at that moment in time was that I needed hands-on
experience. I had a thought that I could put my twenty plus years of graphic
design experience to work and earn some additional money to keep daddy sitting
in his chair, dreaming up stories. And I couldn't rightly experiment with
someone else's work. That wouldn't be fair to them.
With
FRESH CUT TALES I have a different agenda. It's predecessor did quite well and
I was amazed by those who reached out to me, telling me which stories they
enjoyed and why. I even had a few people I admire in the world of writing
contact me, which humbles me. I'm eternally grateful for it all, believe me. So
when a few people started asking when the next collection was coming,
suggesting titles and ideas for the cover, I was stumped. I hadn't planned on
another collection. That wasn't until a little while back now, when inspiration
finally stuck again.
What
changed? I suppose it has gotten to that point again, where I want to earmark
another chapter. While some may consider me conceited for doing so, a swelled
head has nothing to do with it. Simply put, I write stories so that they can be
read and that could never happen if they were left lying around, somewhere
underneath my virtual bed, my own personal "dust-catcher." No, that
won't do at all. Also, truth be told, I really have nothing to hide.
What I
wanted to achieve with this next chapter though, was to revisit several of my
older tales that have appeared in various anthologies. I wanted to read them
again (a thing I often dread and have avoided when I can). I wanted to see if I
could breathe new life into these tales and allow myself another reprise from
worrying about them. And yes, I am most certain a year from now I'll be
glancing back yet again, fretting over the smallest of details.
That's
how I work. What I might lack otherwise, I am determined and I stay at it night
and day, often in my sleep. I obsess about writing, the craft, the grammar, the
editing, all of the stages of a story and every other juicy tidbit. Why do I
torment myself in this way? Because I love the art of telling a story, and the
more effective I can become at achieving my goal, the happier readers will be
in the end.
Currently,
there is no official date set for FRESH CUT TALES. I can tell you this; it will
likely be sometime in June, perhaps even July. I'm not going to rush this one,
as these things take care and diligence. Along with eight "fresh
cuts" of previously accepted stories, I've opted to include a half-dozen
or so older tales I will also be revisiting (including the very first story I
wrote when I decided to pursue writing) to sweeten the deal.
With
that, I hope you will be on the look out for FRESH CUT TALES through my
website, my Facebook page, or Amazon. As always, much thanks to you, dear
readers. Pleasant nightmares.
Bio:
Kenneth
W. Cain writes dark fiction from his home in eastern Pennsylvania, where he
lives with his wife and two children. He is the author of several novels and
short fiction, including his acclaimed collection These Old Tales. His work has
appeared alongside such notable authors as Hill, Barker, Ketchum, Braunbeck,
Maberry and others.
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