My latest story "Like Ants on a Carcass" is available to read for FREE at Eldritch Press.
I wrote this tale a few years ago during the recession. I'd heard two interesting stories about people taking advantage of others who had offered something for free. In one case it was an empty house like the one in the story. The guy who bought the house had hauled some of the contents outside and offered them for free. A neighbor was standing outside talking to the new homeowner when some guy takes a shovel from the neighbor's house and pilfers a plant, roots and all, from the front yard of the house with the free stuff. I thought that was pretty bad, and I figured I could take that kind of behavior to the next level, so I did. Have a read. I hope you enjoy it.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Robert Essig. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Essig. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Writing is like Canasta
No, really, writing and canasta have some parallels. Trust me on this one.
For those of you who don't know what canasta is, it's a card game. It's kind of like rummy on steroids. There's are a lot of rules and it takes a while to feel comfortable playing the game without having to ask if you're doing it right. One deck of cards just isn't enough, so you play with two decks. You better get used to shuffling that monstrous pile of cars, and you better shuffle 'em good.
You might already see some parallels to writing in that introductory paragraph, but the meat of why I think canasta and writing are similar goes a bit deeper.
My mother taught me how to play canasta maybe twenty years ago. If I remember correctly we were camping at King's Canyon in Northern California. A friend of mine was on that trip with us and we both loved playing card games, so we were excited to learn a new one. My mom told us not to expect to win right away. In fact, she said it would be a while before we won. A long while. Now, that kind of straight talk will discourage some people. They'll toss their hand down right then and there and say, "Well screw it then, why would I play a game I know I'm gonna lose?" Because it's fun, that's why. Because you have to learn how to play the game and this game is far more skill than chance. The initial dealing of the hand is chance, but after that it's ninety percent skill. You gotta know what to do with those cards you've been dealt regardless of whether it's a bum hand or not. You also have to watch your opponent carefully. Learn what signals they give to indicate what they're planning on doing. These are things you learn after playing the game over and over again and losing every damn time, but eventually you get closer to the win. Your score at the end of the game is higher, and then you have that breakthrough and you actually win one. You want to dance and cheer and scream it from the rooftops.
Then you play another game and you lose.
However, now that you have the win under your belt, you play harder and one win turns into two, then three, and soon enough you're feeling pretty good about your canasta skills.
Last week when I played a game of canasta against my mother I took her to the cleaners.
But that doesn't mean that she won't do the same to me next time.
In writing you start off and you're told to expect a pile of rejections. Kind of sounds familiar, right? You're pretty much told you're gonna lose right from the get go, and I imagine that crushes a lot of people's will to follow their dreams of becoming a published author.
It's all true. I have a file of paper rejections from back when most publishers were accepting snail mail submissions. Now I delete them as soon as I log them on my submission tracker sheet. I've been at this for a number of years. I've published over sixty short stories, two novellas and two novels. In the past few weeks I made my first pro sale to Eldritch Press for a story called "High Fashion" that is going to appear in their debut anthology Our World of Horror. I sold my novella Salpsan to Damnation Books, sold three flash fiction stories to Post Mortem Press ("Names on the Sidewalk", "Meeting the Quota", and "Moonlight Sonata"), and sold another story to Eldritch Press for their online zine. That story went live yesterday. It's called "Like Ants on a Carcass". You can read it HERE.
Without any doubt whatsoever I can expect to find rejection emails in my inbox. I can expect to be disappointed. I can also expect to take those stories and submit elsewhere and eventually, dammit, I expect to sell them.
Cheers!
For those of you who don't know what canasta is, it's a card game. It's kind of like rummy on steroids. There's are a lot of rules and it takes a while to feel comfortable playing the game without having to ask if you're doing it right. One deck of cards just isn't enough, so you play with two decks. You better get used to shuffling that monstrous pile of cars, and you better shuffle 'em good.
You might already see some parallels to writing in that introductory paragraph, but the meat of why I think canasta and writing are similar goes a bit deeper.
My mother taught me how to play canasta maybe twenty years ago. If I remember correctly we were camping at King's Canyon in Northern California. A friend of mine was on that trip with us and we both loved playing card games, so we were excited to learn a new one. My mom told us not to expect to win right away. In fact, she said it would be a while before we won. A long while. Now, that kind of straight talk will discourage some people. They'll toss their hand down right then and there and say, "Well screw it then, why would I play a game I know I'm gonna lose?" Because it's fun, that's why. Because you have to learn how to play the game and this game is far more skill than chance. The initial dealing of the hand is chance, but after that it's ninety percent skill. You gotta know what to do with those cards you've been dealt regardless of whether it's a bum hand or not. You also have to watch your opponent carefully. Learn what signals they give to indicate what they're planning on doing. These are things you learn after playing the game over and over again and losing every damn time, but eventually you get closer to the win. Your score at the end of the game is higher, and then you have that breakthrough and you actually win one. You want to dance and cheer and scream it from the rooftops.
Then you play another game and you lose.
However, now that you have the win under your belt, you play harder and one win turns into two, then three, and soon enough you're feeling pretty good about your canasta skills.
Last week when I played a game of canasta against my mother I took her to the cleaners.
But that doesn't mean that she won't do the same to me next time.
In writing you start off and you're told to expect a pile of rejections. Kind of sounds familiar, right? You're pretty much told you're gonna lose right from the get go, and I imagine that crushes a lot of people's will to follow their dreams of becoming a published author.
It's all true. I have a file of paper rejections from back when most publishers were accepting snail mail submissions. Now I delete them as soon as I log them on my submission tracker sheet. I've been at this for a number of years. I've published over sixty short stories, two novellas and two novels. In the past few weeks I made my first pro sale to Eldritch Press for a story called "High Fashion" that is going to appear in their debut anthology Our World of Horror. I sold my novella Salpsan to Damnation Books, sold three flash fiction stories to Post Mortem Press ("Names on the Sidewalk", "Meeting the Quota", and "Moonlight Sonata"), and sold another story to Eldritch Press for their online zine. That story went live yesterday. It's called "Like Ants on a Carcass". You can read it HERE.
Without any doubt whatsoever I can expect to find rejection emails in my inbox. I can expect to be disappointed. I can also expect to take those stories and submit elsewhere and eventually, dammit, I expect to sell them.
Cheers!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
People of the Ethereal Realm - NOW ON SALE!
That's right, folks! My second novel of horror, People of the Ethereal Realm, is now available in trade paperback from Post Mortem Press. I'm very excited about this release. I hope those of you who decided to read the book have a good time with it, and, of course, I hope you will be kind enough to leave your comments in an amazon or goodreads review. Word of mouth is so damn important for us struggling authors.
Barbara comes to Adam at night while his wife is working the graveyard shift at the hospital. She is but a dream in the mind of a frustrated man whose life is on the verge of collapse, but Adam has something she wants and she will go to any extreme in acquiring her desires.
Gerald lives a lonely life in the Boulevard, a ghetto on the wrong side of the tracks. He's blind, but where his sense of vision is obsolete, his ability to communicate with the souls of the dead is acute. He fears nothing, having grown up on the mean streets, but on the night Barbara visits him that is about to change.
Who is this mysterious woman and what does she want so badly that she'll destroy anyone and anything that gets in her way? Can she bring two men from different backgrounds together for her bidding? How many people will have to die, and how many will wish death was the end?
"Robert Essig's voice is a beautiful thing. He wields it like a handcrafted baseball bat, and People of the Ethereal Realm is Essig at his finest, with a story that hits hard but leaves pretty scars."
--Craig Saunders, author of Rain and A Home by the Sea
"People of the Ethereal Realm is a wicked tale of possession and mayhem that is sure to unnerve the most seasoned horror fan! It's original, frightening, and very creepy! A ghost tale with razor sharp teeth! I loved it!"
--David Bernstein, author of Damaged Souls and Machines of the Dead
Available in print and kindle format HERE.
Barbara comes to Adam at night while his wife is working the graveyard shift at the hospital. She is but a dream in the mind of a frustrated man whose life is on the verge of collapse, but Adam has something she wants and she will go to any extreme in acquiring her desires.
Gerald lives a lonely life in the Boulevard, a ghetto on the wrong side of the tracks. He's blind, but where his sense of vision is obsolete, his ability to communicate with the souls of the dead is acute. He fears nothing, having grown up on the mean streets, but on the night Barbara visits him that is about to change.
Who is this mysterious woman and what does she want so badly that she'll destroy anyone and anything that gets in her way? Can she bring two men from different backgrounds together for her bidding? How many people will have to die, and how many will wish death was the end?
"Robert Essig's voice is a beautiful thing. He wields it like a handcrafted baseball bat, and People of the Ethereal Realm is Essig at his finest, with a story that hits hard but leaves pretty scars."
--Craig Saunders, author of Rain and A Home by the Sea
"People of the Ethereal Realm is a wicked tale of possession and mayhem that is sure to unnerve the most seasoned horror fan! It's original, frightening, and very creepy! A ghost tale with razor sharp teeth! I loved it!"
--David Bernstein, author of Damaged Souls and Machines of the Dead
Available in print and kindle format HERE.
Monday, May 27, 2013
On Deck
I dislike working on too many projects simultaneously, but I always seem to find myself in that boat. I've been working on my short novel Of Dreams Come Nightmares, which is coming along nicely. I had to completely rewrite and piece together the first four chapters because they just didn't work, but the second half of the book is pretty tight. There's one issue I need to address, but it's minor.
I have also been working on Brothers in Blood. I have about 1/3 of the manuscript to go. I've already tightened up what I have written and I'm happy with it. And, of course, there's another story that will be called Broth House that is tickling my brain so damn much I may have to start on it before finishing Brothers in Blood. Broth House is going to be a tricky one. I'm looking forward to writing it, but also horrified that I'll totally fuck it up. I have a solid plot, a solid protagonist, and a solid villain, so I have those bases covered. I just have to use the canvas of my mind to paint them into some semblance of reality...after I finish Brothers in Blood, damn-it!
Good-fright, all!
I have also been working on Brothers in Blood. I have about 1/3 of the manuscript to go. I've already tightened up what I have written and I'm happy with it. And, of course, there's another story that will be called Broth House that is tickling my brain so damn much I may have to start on it before finishing Brothers in Blood. Broth House is going to be a tricky one. I'm looking forward to writing it, but also horrified that I'll totally fuck it up. I have a solid plot, a solid protagonist, and a solid villain, so I have those bases covered. I just have to use the canvas of my mind to paint them into some semblance of reality...after I finish Brothers in Blood, damn-it!
Good-fright, all!
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Hell Awaits Audiobook Now Available
My debut novel Through the In Between, Hell Awaits is now available in audiobook format from Audible.com.
While the audiobook was in production I had the opportunity to listen to the first chapter. I was nervous about hearing someone read my work aloud. Would he hit the nuances? Would it have the flow I intended? Would he fuck up the odd names of the sentinels and demons?
My wife and I listened to the sample and we were floored. Rish Outfield did an amazing job. For anyone out there considering this purchase, I stand behind the production 100%.
While the audiobook was in production I had the opportunity to listen to the first chapter. I was nervous about hearing someone read my work aloud. Would he hit the nuances? Would it have the flow I intended? Would he fuck up the odd names of the sentinels and demons?
My wife and I listened to the sample and we were floored. Rish Outfield did an amazing job. For anyone out there considering this purchase, I stand behind the production 100%.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Spice of Nightmares: A Few Updates
I'm always working on something, though slowly at times. No deadlines at the moment, so I have my hands dipped into a few projects that I hope to submit in the near future, and, of course, quite a few stories and two novellas in the hands of publishers. Us writers are always waiting to "hear the good word" from someone. When Tom Petty wrote the song "The Waiting" he must have been dabbling in the writing biz.
I have a short story called "Dr. Scabs and the Hags of El Cajon" coming out in the soon-to-be-released anthology from Blood Bound Books entitled DOA II. Easily my most disturbing and offensive piece yet. The story certainly holds up to the title. Writing this story was a way of preserving the idea since I have a lot I want to get to before exploring it further.
My second novel People of the Ethereal Realm is slated for release from Post Mortem Press in June, just in time for my birthday. This is the story of two men from different walks of life who are brought together by a mysterious, ghostly woman who uses them to find something she has been searching far too long to find, and she'll go to any length to get what she wants.
As for what I've been writing: two short novels and a novella. The First is called In Black. I still have a few rounds of tightening up and fixing typos and grammatical errors. I'm waiting for a couple of readers to get back to me with their thoughts. My first reader brought up a few points that I will address when I go over the manuscript again. The second short novel is called Of Dreams Come Nightmares. I'm currently editing this one and will soon request volunteers to beta read it (a concept that is new to me, but seems to be working well). This story is about a man who lives a simultaneous life in reality and his nightly dreams. When the stress of starting a new business becomes too much, his worlds begin to collide. The third is a novella called Brothers in Blood that I am in the process of writing. This one is a non-supernatural horror story. People seem to be more responsive and freaked out about stories that could actually happen. This one'll rip your face off.
I have also been dabbling with a few short stories, but for the most part that's what I've been up to. I can't wait to get these stories into the world. Hopefully some publishers feel the same way.
Blood and guts to all, and to all a good fright!
Robert
I have a short story called "Dr. Scabs and the Hags of El Cajon" coming out in the soon-to-be-released anthology from Blood Bound Books entitled DOA II. Easily my most disturbing and offensive piece yet. The story certainly holds up to the title. Writing this story was a way of preserving the idea since I have a lot I want to get to before exploring it further.
My second novel People of the Ethereal Realm is slated for release from Post Mortem Press in June, just in time for my birthday. This is the story of two men from different walks of life who are brought together by a mysterious, ghostly woman who uses them to find something she has been searching far too long to find, and she'll go to any length to get what she wants.
As for what I've been writing: two short novels and a novella. The First is called In Black. I still have a few rounds of tightening up and fixing typos and grammatical errors. I'm waiting for a couple of readers to get back to me with their thoughts. My first reader brought up a few points that I will address when I go over the manuscript again. The second short novel is called Of Dreams Come Nightmares. I'm currently editing this one and will soon request volunteers to beta read it (a concept that is new to me, but seems to be working well). This story is about a man who lives a simultaneous life in reality and his nightly dreams. When the stress of starting a new business becomes too much, his worlds begin to collide. The third is a novella called Brothers in Blood that I am in the process of writing. This one is a non-supernatural horror story. People seem to be more responsive and freaked out about stories that could actually happen. This one'll rip your face off.
I have also been dabbling with a few short stories, but for the most part that's what I've been up to. I can't wait to get these stories into the world. Hopefully some publishers feel the same way.
Blood and guts to all, and to all a good fright!
Robert
Monday, December 10, 2012
Through the In between, Hell Awaits -- OUT NOW!
That's right, folks! My debut novel from Grand Mal Press, Though the In Between, Hell Awaits, is now live! Available in print, for kindle, nook, and at smashwords.
After an ancient tribe of sentinels disbands, the realm between Earth and Hell
devolves into a land where vile beasts roam free and corruption reigns. In this
aberrant land time is only relative, and pain can last forever. On Earth there
are three strangers in search of something tangible, something real, something
that gives meaning to their lives. Little do they know that a grisly murder in
San Diego will mark the beginning of a series of events that will draw them to a
world of madness, torture, and lawlessness where they will be forced to fight
for their desires and their lives. Once in the realm of the In Between will they
ever be the same again? Is there a way back home to Earth, or does Hell await?
“Essig brings a fat slice of urban horror combined with his uniquely abstract vision of a hellish world. Endless suffering abounds! For fans of down and dirty horror!” - Daniel I. Russell, author of Samhane
Cheers!
“Essig brings a fat slice of urban horror combined with his uniquely abstract vision of a hellish world. Endless suffering abounds! For fans of down and dirty horror!” - Daniel I. Russell, author of Samhane
Cheers!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Fear the Abyss
Fear the Abyss is the latest anthology from Post Mortem Press in which the stories blend science fiction with horror. I wrote a story specifically for this anthology called "The Nostalgiac". I have had an idea for a story about and intergalactic moving company that transports relics from a defunct Earth to people now living in the universe. I'd tried to write the story once but it was utter shit. When I was invited to submit to this anthology I knew it was time to revisit that idea. I changed it drastically and wrote the first draft over the period of a few days. After rewrites and some editorial suggestions, I am very pleased with how the story turned out.
Below is the table of contents. I'm honored to share the pages with such talented authors.
• "Cutting the Cord" – Joseph Williams
• "Extraction" – Jessica McHugh
• "Amid the Walking Wounded" – Jack Ketchum
• "A Box of Candy" – Nelson W. Pyles
• "That Which Does Not Kill You" – Matt Moore
• "Human Caverns" – Lawrence C. Connolly
• "The American" – S.C. Hayden
• "What's Left Behind" – C. Bryan Brown
• "Always Something There To Remind Me" - Gary Braunbeck
• "Neptune Dreams" – Rose Blackthorn
• "Broken Promises" – Jamie Lackey
• "The Great Ocean of Truth" – Tim Waggoner
• “Graphic Violence Equalizer" – Michael Arnzen
• "Parasite" – Kenneth W. Cain
• "If Thine Eye Offend Thee" – Thomas Malafarina
• "Seeing" – Harlan Ellison®
• "A Nice Town With Very Clean Streets" – Paul Anderson
• "The Nostalgiac" – Robert Essig
• "Life After Dead" – Jeyn Roberts
• "Andrew and the Better Mouse Trap" – KT Jayne
• "They Still Sing Beautifully" – Brad Carter
• "What We Found" – Andrew Nienaber
Fear the Abyss is slated for a late November release. I will post details when it is available.
Cheers!
Below is the table of contents. I'm honored to share the pages with such talented authors.
• "Cutting the Cord" – Joseph Williams• "Extraction" – Jessica McHugh
• "Amid the Walking Wounded" – Jack Ketchum
• "A Box of Candy" – Nelson W. Pyles
• "That Which Does Not Kill You" – Matt Moore
• "Human Caverns" – Lawrence C. Connolly
• "The American" – S.C. Hayden
• "What's Left Behind" – C. Bryan Brown
• "Always Something There To Remind Me" - Gary Braunbeck
• "Neptune Dreams" – Rose Blackthorn
• "Broken Promises" – Jamie Lackey
• "The Great Ocean of Truth" – Tim Waggoner
• “Graphic Violence Equalizer" – Michael Arnzen
• "Parasite" – Kenneth W. Cain
• "If Thine Eye Offend Thee" – Thomas Malafarina
• "Seeing" – Harlan Ellison®
• "A Nice Town With Very Clean Streets" – Paul Anderson
• "The Nostalgiac" – Robert Essig
• "Life After Dead" – Jeyn Roberts
• "Andrew and the Better Mouse Trap" – KT Jayne
• "They Still Sing Beautifully" – Brad Carter
• "What We Found" – Andrew Nienaber
Fear the Abyss is slated for a late November release. I will post details when it is available.
Cheers!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
What I've Been Working On
With work on Through the In Between, Hell Awaits finished (it will be released so damned soon I can taste the blood and grue!) I have had time to work on some other projects that have been set on the back burner, and I would like to get some things finished before editorial work on my Post Mortem Press novel People of the Ethereal Realm begins.
In the interim I have written a story that reflects one horrifying result of the desperation many facets of our current society are dealing with called "Like Ants on a Carcass". I heard two news stories in one day that were frighteningly similar with a sad yet comical bend, so I took the idea and gave it a sad and horrific twist by taking said situation to the extreme. I'm pleased with the first draft and eager to tidy it up.
I have recently rewritten a story that I had entered into a writing competition last year. The story had done terribly for many reasons, one of which was that I was too excited and didn't properly edit. As a result there were a few embarrassing typos, however the commentary by the others in the contest was very helpful in directing me away from the worn-out monster with tentacles and the typical POV I had been using. Now the story has an original villain that better reflects the deeper meaning of the story, and with the shuffle of my lead character I think it is a far more engaging and affective read. And, of course, I will have to clean this one up before submitting (maybe a few times for good measure).
With first drafts of those stories finished, I have resumed working on my latest novel In Black, which is coming along nicely. I have been hitting 500 words a day, which isn't too shabby for a guy who has been working a day job and then coming home to work on his house until 10 PM just about every night for the past week and a half. What is it they say, if you can't fit writing into your busy schedule, then you may want to reconsider being a writer? I don't know what they say, but it's something like that. And who the hell are they anyway? In Black is coming along nicely. I am writing it using the stream of consciousness method, which I am trying to steer away from if for nothing else that to see if there are more effective ways to write books. I'm always interested in trying new methods. Having no idea how the book will end or where it is going is kind of thrilling, and can be very exciting when the plot begins to take hold. Recently I have hit a major development, which may have something to do with my recent 500 words a day (that may not be a lot of words for many other authors, but I'm kind of a slow writer, so it's very good for me, particularly on weekdays).
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate it.
Cheers!
In the interim I have written a story that reflects one horrifying result of the desperation many facets of our current society are dealing with called "Like Ants on a Carcass". I heard two news stories in one day that were frighteningly similar with a sad yet comical bend, so I took the idea and gave it a sad and horrific twist by taking said situation to the extreme. I'm pleased with the first draft and eager to tidy it up.
I have recently rewritten a story that I had entered into a writing competition last year. The story had done terribly for many reasons, one of which was that I was too excited and didn't properly edit. As a result there were a few embarrassing typos, however the commentary by the others in the contest was very helpful in directing me away from the worn-out monster with tentacles and the typical POV I had been using. Now the story has an original villain that better reflects the deeper meaning of the story, and with the shuffle of my lead character I think it is a far more engaging and affective read. And, of course, I will have to clean this one up before submitting (maybe a few times for good measure).
With first drafts of those stories finished, I have resumed working on my latest novel In Black, which is coming along nicely. I have been hitting 500 words a day, which isn't too shabby for a guy who has been working a day job and then coming home to work on his house until 10 PM just about every night for the past week and a half. What is it they say, if you can't fit writing into your busy schedule, then you may want to reconsider being a writer? I don't know what they say, but it's something like that. And who the hell are they anyway? In Black is coming along nicely. I am writing it using the stream of consciousness method, which I am trying to steer away from if for nothing else that to see if there are more effective ways to write books. I'm always interested in trying new methods. Having no idea how the book will end or where it is going is kind of thrilling, and can be very exciting when the plot begins to take hold. Recently I have hit a major development, which may have something to do with my recent 500 words a day (that may not be a lot of words for many other authors, but I'm kind of a slow writer, so it's very good for me, particularly on weekdays).
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate it.
Cheers!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Free PDF of Through the In Between, Hell Awaits
Thank you! I appreciate your interest.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Post Mortem Press to Publish My Novel People of the Ethereal Realm
The title says it all! Post Mortem Press will be publishing my novel People of the Ethereal Realm. This novel has a bit of a history, having been accepted for publication by four publishers in the past several years. Without getting into detail, there were a variety of reasons it was not published before Post Mortem got their hands on it. Bad contracts and publishers dropping off the face of the planet may have all been for the best. I've worked with PMP before, and I am looking forward to seeing this book on their 2013 roster.
The tentative release is for February, 2013. I, of course, will make updates as the novel progresses through the many steps toward publication.
Here's a quick blurb about the book:
Barbara comes to Adam at night while his wife is working the graveyard shift at the hospital. She is but a dream in the mind of a frustrated man whose life is on the verge of collapse, but Adam has something she wants and she will go to any extreme in acquiring her desires.
Gerald lives a lonely life in the Boulevard, a ghetto on the wrong side of the tracks. He's blind, but where his sense of vision is obsolete, his ability to communicate with the souls of the dead is acute. He fears nothing, having grown up on the mean streets, but on the night Barbara visits him that is about to change
The tentative release is for February, 2013. I, of course, will make updates as the novel progresses through the many steps toward publication.
Here's a quick blurb about the book:
Barbara comes to Adam at night while his wife is working the graveyard shift at the hospital. She is but a dream in the mind of a frustrated man whose life is on the verge of collapse, but Adam has something she wants and she will go to any extreme in acquiring her desires.
Gerald lives a lonely life in the Boulevard, a ghetto on the wrong side of the tracks. He's blind, but where his sense of vision is obsolete, his ability to communicate with the souls of the dead is acute. He fears nothing, having grown up on the mean streets, but on the night Barbara visits him that is about to change
Who is this mysterious woman and what does she want so
badly that she'll destroy anyone and anything that gets in her way? Can she bring
two men from different backgrounds together for her bidding? How many people
will have to die, and how many will wish death was the end?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
A New Interview
Recently Rebecca Snow asked me to do an interview. If you would like to know a little something about me, here's your chance. Take a trip into the Isolation Tank, and after you're finished, take a look around. There are lots of goodies to check out on her blog.
Thanks, Rebecca!
Thanks, Rebecca!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
DOA II Cover
Look at the names on that toe tag! I couldn't be more pleased to have a story accepted into this anthology, not only because I'll be sharing the pages with such talent (the toe tag names and so many others who I've heard were accepted into the book), but also because I had a story in the first volume and I just love working with Blood Bound Books. They are good people.
My offering to this sadistic collection of extreme horror is called "Dr. Scabs and the Hags of El Cajon". I only hope the story holds up to the title, and I think it does--it's a nasty one! As soon as a full table of contents is revealed I will post it here.
Cheers!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Smashing Review for Darker Minds
While haunting the Shocklines board today I noticed a thread for the Darker Minds anthology. Having a story in this fine anthology, I had to take a look. I discovered that there has been a review on the Ginger Nuts of Horror blog...and it's a damn fine review at that.
Each story was reviewed individually. Like any self-respecting author I scrolled down to read the comments about my story "Tale of the Abnormal Beauty Queen". The reviewer called it "brilliant". Nuff said. Here's the link: Darker Minds Review. Check it out and read the reviews for all of the stories. There were only a few that the reviewer didn't care for, which is to be expected with any anthology.
My contributor copy arrived in the mail a week ago and it is a thing of beauty. Excellent cover art and a wonderfully composed interior. I'll be digging into it in the near future.
Cheers!
Each story was reviewed individually. Like any self-respecting author I scrolled down to read the comments about my story "Tale of the Abnormal Beauty Queen". The reviewer called it "brilliant". Nuff said. Here's the link: Darker Minds Review. Check it out and read the reviews for all of the stories. There were only a few that the reviewer didn't care for, which is to be expected with any anthology. My contributor copy arrived in the mail a week ago and it is a thing of beauty. Excellent cover art and a wonderfully composed interior. I'll be digging into it in the near future.
Cheers!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Cover Mock-up for Through the In Between, Hell Awaits
My debut release Through the In Between, Hell Awaits is coming along nicely. Here's the cover mock-up. There may be some minor alterations before publication, but I have to say I'm very pleased with it. We're looking at a few weeks before uploading the files and debuting this bad boy.
I'm excited about the book's release, and curious about how readers and reviewers are going to respond to it. I hope to schedule some local book signings and hopefully make it to a convention or two next year to promote the book. I will report here with further news.
Cheers!
I'm excited about the book's release, and curious about how readers and reviewers are going to respond to it. I hope to schedule some local book signings and hopefully make it to a convention or two next year to promote the book. I will report here with further news.Cheers!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Latest News: Ethereal People & Hell Awaits
It's been a while. Far too long, really. So here I am, back on my blog writing about what I've been working on. In short, I haven't been working on anything aside from the edits for my debut novel Through the In Between, Hell Awaits. Yes, you read it right, my debut novel. For those of you who have been following (yes, you!), What was supposed to be my debut novel, People of the Ethereal Realm, has been cancelled for publication with Twisted Library Press. Why? Well, twelve months passed and the contract became null and void. Simple as that. But really I have no idea why the book wasn't published. Unfortunately, it appears that Twisted Library Press, unless it is resurrected, is no longer publishing books. With little response from the Dr. Pus, no one really knows what happened. He has mentioned that he's dealing with health issues. I wish him the best. He's a kind and generous man who gave me many opportunities early on.
I have some plans in the works for PotER. If everything works out, it will now become my second novel, because Through the In Between, Hell Awaits is steamrolling through Grand Mal Press like a bat out of, er...Hell. The manuscript has been edited, the edits have been reviewed and approved, and the cover art is now under way. It's only a matter of time, and I couldn't be more excited. This book is insane, it's violent, it's horrific, and it will take you to places only visited in nightmares. I will make updates as the release draws near.
I'm currently doing revisions of my 40K word novella Stronger Than Hate. This is easily the most brutal piece of fiction I've penned. I wrote it months ago and haven't looked at it since, so I'm kind of excited to go through it again. The trouble will be finding a publisher for it. The extreme nature of this story kind of narrows the list. That's all right. I accept the challenge.
Until next time...
I have some plans in the works for PotER. If everything works out, it will now become my second novel, because Through the In Between, Hell Awaits is steamrolling through Grand Mal Press like a bat out of, er...Hell. The manuscript has been edited, the edits have been reviewed and approved, and the cover art is now under way. It's only a matter of time, and I couldn't be more excited. This book is insane, it's violent, it's horrific, and it will take you to places only visited in nightmares. I will make updates as the release draws near.
I'm currently doing revisions of my 40K word novella Stronger Than Hate. This is easily the most brutal piece of fiction I've penned. I wrote it months ago and haven't looked at it since, so I'm kind of excited to go through it again. The trouble will be finding a publisher for it. The extreme nature of this story kind of narrows the list. That's all right. I accept the challenge.
Until next time...
Monday, May 21, 2012
Through the In Between, Hell Awaits -- Sold to Grand Mal Press!
I am proud to announce that I have sold my second novel Through the In Between, Hell Awaits to Grand Mal Press. Yes, yes, I know, I announced this two weeks ago on Facebook and a few forums, but I figured I had better blog it here too.
I wanted to include a blurb for the story, and I had been working on something cool that would entice people to look forward to this book. Well, as it turns out I hate writing blurbs. It's difficult, but it's a part of being a writer. Just how does one boil down 90K words into a paragraph or two?
Bah, that's another subject for another post. I'm more than delighted to be a part of the Grand Mal family, and I will be making updates as I get more info about my forthcoming novel. For now, here's a short blurb, or perhaps more of a teaser:
I wanted to include a blurb for the story, and I had been working on something cool that would entice people to look forward to this book. Well, as it turns out I hate writing blurbs. It's difficult, but it's a part of being a writer. Just how does one boil down 90K words into a paragraph or two?
Bah, that's another subject for another post. I'm more than delighted to be a part of the Grand Mal family, and I will be making updates as I get more info about my forthcoming novel. For now, here's a short blurb, or perhaps more of a teaser:
Austin Wheeler roams the earth in search of meaning, of
something tangible to fill the void his wealthy upbringing left him with. Rich Wompler, tired of his routine life,
left his family to follow his favorite rock band on their west coast tour. Witness to an unusual and bizarre murder
they find themselves on two very different paths that lead to a crossroad
called the In Between where demons and monstrosities roam freely.
Will they make it out of the In Between alive, or will they remain stranded in a realm where pain is limitless and suffering can stretch beyond eternity?
It must be known that through the In Between, Hell awaits!
Monday, April 16, 2012
"Fountain of Eternity" Has Found a Home!
My short story "Fountain of Eternity" has found a home in Cover of Darkness, a quarterly magazine from the fine folks at Sam's Dot Publishing. This is a story about an explorer who discovers the fountain of youth in the far reaches of the Amazon, only it's not what he had expected.
The story is tentatively slated for the Dec. 2012 issue. I will make updates as I gather more info.
Cheers!
The story is tentatively slated for the Dec. 2012 issue. I will make updates as I gather more info.
Cheers!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
What Frightens Me?
Seems like an appropriate topic for a horror author to blog about. We all have fears. There's no way around that aspect of life. A man without fear is a man insane. Some of us fear more than others, and some of us have irrational fears. Deep inside we all probably have a few irrational fears, but for the most part I think people as a whole have a lot of the same, or similar fears. Sure, there's a whole list of phobias to choose from, but that's not what I'm talking about. Phobias are classified as irrational fears. What I want to discuss are real fears. Everyday fears. My fears.
Horror is a label for immense dread and fear. We hear the word horror and think of slasher films and Stephen King and a plethora of fantastical images of vampires and monsters and so many other elements of horrific entertainment that we have enjoyed or have become a part of our lexicon. But what is horror really? What was it that caused Bram Stoker to pen Dracula? What was the reason for Lovecraft to write stories about monstrosities and ancient gods that dwell beneath the sullen seas of the East Coast?
I cannot speak for any one else, but I have several reasons for writing horror. Above all I write horror because I've always been a fan of the genre. Ever since I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 I was hooked. I rented all the horror films from the local video stores (yeah, there used to be little mom and pop video stores, three on one street and we had memberships at each and every one of them). In Junior high I read Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" and I was hooked. Aside form the fascination with horror that is so strong, there is also the whole idea of fear. That's the second part of why I write horror. I like the idea of exploring fears. So the question remains: what do I fear?
When asked what horror novel or story scared me the most, I always respond that Richard Matheson's story "Lover When You're Near Me" was the scariest story I ever read. Anyone familiar with that story would likely wrinkle their brow in confusion and ask, "Isn't that a science fiction story?" Why yes it is. And it gave me chills when I read it seven or eight years ago. Why? How could a story that takes place on some made up planet where a man is sent there to oversee a mineral mining operation conducted by gelatinous, oafish natives be frightening. I'll tell you how. Because the female native who is the housekeeper of our weary protagonist has fallen in love with him, haunting and smothering him telepathically. In my world that's terrifying.
After much consideration I realized that the inner workings of the mind is a huge part of many of my longer works. My novella The Madness deals with various forms of insanity. Two unpublished novellas, The Executioner's Shroud and Stronger Than Hate, also have heavily cerebral themes that explore reasons for madness and the results. It's a bit of a theme, though done differently each time. Over time I have realized that insanity is perhaps my greatest fear. To not be in control of your own mind is absolutely terrifying. That's what frightens me. Are their other things? Of course there are. Mobs are scary. Ghettos are scary (I've had to work in local ghettos before -- fuck that! Gang lands are no place to be). Flesh eating bacteria is scary. The government is scary. Third world governments are even scarier! Bodies of water are scary (perhaps that can be classified as a phobia). The list could go on.
Next to insanity, too much consideration about what happens after death is scary. That's another theme I delve into quite a bit. If I think about that too often, I swear I feel the rising tides of madness. Religious folks don't mess around. They have that base covered, but I don't buy what they're selling. No one knows what happens after we die beyond our bodies decomposing, and that brings me to one of the most influential and frightening of fears: the unknown. Perhaps that fear has bred more horror stories than any other, because horror has so much to do with the unknown. We as horror authors delve into the unknown and bask in its darkness. We succumb to its draw and fill our minds with its potent elixir. And then we tell the stories, one at a time.
Robert Essig
Horror is a label for immense dread and fear. We hear the word horror and think of slasher films and Stephen King and a plethora of fantastical images of vampires and monsters and so many other elements of horrific entertainment that we have enjoyed or have become a part of our lexicon. But what is horror really? What was it that caused Bram Stoker to pen Dracula? What was the reason for Lovecraft to write stories about monstrosities and ancient gods that dwell beneath the sullen seas of the East Coast?
I cannot speak for any one else, but I have several reasons for writing horror. Above all I write horror because I've always been a fan of the genre. Ever since I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 I was hooked. I rented all the horror films from the local video stores (yeah, there used to be little mom and pop video stores, three on one street and we had memberships at each and every one of them). In Junior high I read Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" and I was hooked. Aside form the fascination with horror that is so strong, there is also the whole idea of fear. That's the second part of why I write horror. I like the idea of exploring fears. So the question remains: what do I fear?
When asked what horror novel or story scared me the most, I always respond that Richard Matheson's story "Lover When You're Near Me" was the scariest story I ever read. Anyone familiar with that story would likely wrinkle their brow in confusion and ask, "Isn't that a science fiction story?" Why yes it is. And it gave me chills when I read it seven or eight years ago. Why? How could a story that takes place on some made up planet where a man is sent there to oversee a mineral mining operation conducted by gelatinous, oafish natives be frightening. I'll tell you how. Because the female native who is the housekeeper of our weary protagonist has fallen in love with him, haunting and smothering him telepathically. In my world that's terrifying.
After much consideration I realized that the inner workings of the mind is a huge part of many of my longer works. My novella The Madness deals with various forms of insanity. Two unpublished novellas, The Executioner's Shroud and Stronger Than Hate, also have heavily cerebral themes that explore reasons for madness and the results. It's a bit of a theme, though done differently each time. Over time I have realized that insanity is perhaps my greatest fear. To not be in control of your own mind is absolutely terrifying. That's what frightens me. Are their other things? Of course there are. Mobs are scary. Ghettos are scary (I've had to work in local ghettos before -- fuck that! Gang lands are no place to be). Flesh eating bacteria is scary. The government is scary. Third world governments are even scarier! Bodies of water are scary (perhaps that can be classified as a phobia). The list could go on.
Next to insanity, too much consideration about what happens after death is scary. That's another theme I delve into quite a bit. If I think about that too often, I swear I feel the rising tides of madness. Religious folks don't mess around. They have that base covered, but I don't buy what they're selling. No one knows what happens after we die beyond our bodies decomposing, and that brings me to one of the most influential and frightening of fears: the unknown. Perhaps that fear has bred more horror stories than any other, because horror has so much to do with the unknown. We as horror authors delve into the unknown and bask in its darkness. We succumb to its draw and fill our minds with its potent elixir. And then we tell the stories, one at a time.
Robert Essig
Friday, March 9, 2012
Darker Minds TOC revealed!
The table of contents for Darker Minds has been revealed. Looks like a fine line-up. I can't wait to get my copy of this one. It will be interesting to see how the other authors used the loose theme of horror based on the dark side of the human mind. I had written my story for a contest two years ago. It was more of a sci-fi/fantasy contest, but I sent a horror/mystery story anyway. I was told that it was the best of the horror submissions, though no horror stories were chosen as finalists. I sat on the story for a while, uncertain where to submit it, and then I saw the Darker Minds guidelines and it seemed to fit what they were looking for quite nicely.Here's the TOC:
Reflections From a Broken Lamp - John Travis
Tale of the Abnormal Beauty Queen - Robert Essig
Waste Disposal - Ray Cluley
The Man Who Remembered - Stephen Bacon
Cinder Images - Gary McMahon
The Way of the World - Gary Fry
John Bane's Grave - Charles Muir
Rise, Dead Man - Joe Mynhardt
Looking at Me, Seeing You - Mark West
The Listening - Benedict J Jones
Seeing Things - Robert Mammone
Slip Inside This House - Daniel Kaysen
Houses in Motion - Stuart Young
Shutdown - Clayton Stealback
Laws of Aquisition - Simon Bestwick
Darker Minds should be available in April.
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