Up From the Fathoms #17
Ushering in spooky season!
My favorite time of year is upon us!
I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to you, gentle reader, that Halloween is my favorite holiday and October is my favorite month.
When I was younger, I used to love how October was when all my favorite TV shows had their Halloween episodes, whether it was The Simpsons with “Treehouse of Horror” or Roseanne with yet another homemade haunted house that, frankly, always looked beyond their budget.
October was also when other media paid special attention to horror. Horror movies came out in droves. Horror books would actually be reviewed by major newspapers and magazines (only to go back to being ignored in November). Entertainment magazines would put out their all-horror issues. October was a horror lover’s paradise!
It still is, in many ways. I love seeing horror-themed Halloween home decor for sale in stores like Michaels, Pottery Barn, and TJ Maxx!
Now that there are so many streaming services, horror movies are at my fingertips year round, and since my TBR piles are threatening to teeter over and crush me, I’m never at a loss for horror books to read. So, I had to find another way to recapture that special Halloween feeling.
For the past several years, I’ve been staying home on October 31st and watching a personally curated triple feature of horror movies (while snacking on Halloween candy, of course). The list is always fluid right up until the day, but this year I think my triple feature will be:
1) Pumpkinhead (1988)
2) The Others (2001)
3) Lifeforce (1985)
My wife Alexa asked me to save Lifeforce to watch with her after work. She doesn’t like horror movies, usually, so we’ll see how it goes over. (She does like Patrick Stewart, though, which I suspect is why she’s interested!)
Are you planning on watching any horror movies on the big day? Let me know in the comments!
Sneak Previews
I have good news about a new story collection coming in (I hope) late 2025! I’ll have more information once contracts have been signed, but in the meantime I can tease you with these three bullet points:
• The title will be Monuments in Darkness.
• It will consist of nine reprints and two brand-new, never-before-published stories.
• The publisher in question is a beloved independent press well known for publishing and celebrating weird fiction.
More soon!
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Hey, remember the 2021 charity anthology Giving the Devil His Due, which included my story “Daughter of Echidna”? Well, the audiobook is going on sale for just $10 for the whole month of October! Here’s the info straight from the publisher:
“Calling all Horror and audiobook aficionados! The Pixel Project, a 501(c)3 anti-violence against women (VAW) non-profit, is offering the limited edition audiobook edition of Giving The Devil His Due, their acclaimed charity short story anthology, for the special price of $10 this October in honour of Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2024.
“Giving The Devil His Due is available from all major audiobook retailers worldwide until 31 OCTOBER 2024 ONLY, so get your copy today before it’s gone! All net proceeds from the anthology will go towards supporting The Pixel Project’s anti-violence against women programmes, campaigns, and resources including the awesome Read For Pixels campaign.
“This Shirley Jackson Awards and Audie Awards finalist features sixteen Twilight Zone-inspired tales of men who perpetrate violence against women and girls meeting their comeuppance in uncanny ways. Major names and rising stars in Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror including Angela Yuriko Smith, Christina Henry, Dana Cameron, Errick Nunnally, Hillary Monahan, Jason Sanford, Kaaron Warren, Kelley Armstrong, Kenesha Williams, Leanna Renee Hieber, Lee Murray, Linda D. Addison, Nicholas Kaufmann, Nisi Shawl, Peter Tieryas, and Stephen Graham Jones have contributed these thought-provoking stories to spark conversations about violence against women amongst book lovers and fandoms worldwide while sending a clear message that misogyny, toxic masculinity, and VAW are unacceptable.
“Produced in partnership with Voiceworks Audio, Giving The Devil His Due is brought to life by a cast of twelve of today’s finest audiobook narrators - Alyssa Bresnahan, Brian Nishii, Christina Moore, Cynthia Farrell, Edoardo Ballerini, Erin Moon, Karen Chilton, Kate Forbes, Nancy Wu, Robin Miles, Samuel Roukin, and Stephanie Cozart.”
Look for Giving the Devil His Due wherever you buy audiobooks! It’s a good book, and the money goes to a great cause!
In the Flesh
On Sunday, October 6th—just one day after this newsletter hits your Inbox—I’m doing a reading with four other fantastic NYC-area authors: Randee Dawn, John C. Foster, Karen Heuler, and Chandler Klang Smith!
What better way to usher in spooky season than by listening to chilling and fantastical tales while you sip fine drinks and dine upon crepes?
The reading is free but the drinks are not! (Please buy some drinks!)
The Facebook event page has all the info. You can also RSVP there, if you’re into that kind of thing!
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Later in the month, I’ll be at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival!
It’s happening on Saturday, October 19th, 10 AM - 4:30 PM, at the Haverhill Public Library, 99 Main Street in Haverhill, MA.
Admittance is free and the event is kid-friendly!
I’ll have a bunch of my books for sale, and I’ll be happy to sign them for you!
I’m happy to sign any books you bring from home, too!
Joining me will be lots of other great authors like Paul Tremblay, Jennifer McMahon, Christopher Golden, Daniel Kraus, Clay McLeod Chapman, Eric LaRocca, John Langan, and so many more!
There will also be an exclusive Q&A with Joe Hill! (Please note, Joe will not be available prior to or after the panel to sign autographs. He has graciously agreed to appear at this event for this panel only. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.)
No RSVPs are necessary, but you can always follow the festival’s Facebook page for updates.
Spooky Science Lab
Spooky Science Lab Live went better than I could have hoped for! Big thanks to Mike Lewi for setting it up as part of his legendary House of Know series!
The Flying Fox Tavern in Ridgewood, Queens was an excellent host, and in return we filled the place up with fans of the podcast.
The crowd was an enthusiastic one, and I’m glad we were able to catch all their raucous laughter and gasps of shocked surprise on the mic! Keep an eye out for an audio release of the event soon!
Speaking of which, Dave and I are hard at work on preparing Spooky Science Lab’s second season, which should launch very, very soon!
Now is the perfect time to connect with us on social media so you won’t miss a thing! You can find Spooky Science Lab on Facebook, Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram!
We can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve got in store for Season 2!
Until next time!
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