"Up From the Fathoms" is One Year Old
Movie trailer voice: "In a world where newsletters celebrate birthdays like people..."
First, I want to welcome all the new subscribers to my free monthly newsletter, “Up From the Fathoms.” Thanks for being here! It’s nice to have you along for the ride!
Big, big thanks to my friend Brian Keene for recommending this newsletter on Substack and sending folks my way!
Speaking of Brian and his wife/partner-in-crime Mary SanGiovanni, I hope to do an event at their bookstore, Vortex Books & Comics, later this year. Stay tuned!
Can you believe this newsletter is a year old now? That’s old enough to stand and take a few steps!
Thanks for joining me on this wacky journey through my writing career. I hope I’ve made it interesting and fun to read about.
But that’s not the only milestone! By the time you read this, my wife Alexa and I will have celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary!
Tradition says the gift for this anniversary should be lace or fur, but I feel like it should be something much more gothic, like a plush raven or coffin-shaped jewelry. I mean, it’s 13, after all!
Anyway, enough of my babbling. Let’s get to the news and whatnot! (Now with 25% more whatnot.)
Sneak Previews
I’m going to be one of the authors in the forthcoming anthology Dark Spores: Stories We Tell After Midnight, Vol. 4, edited by Carol Gyzander and Rachel A. Brune, coming from Crone Girls Press!
After publishing The Hungry Earth, I kind of developed a reputation in horror circles as the “fungus guy,” so I was thrilled to be invited into this anthology of fungal horror —along with a bunch of other great writers, as you can see above!
The anthology is backed by a Kickstarter. When you receive this newsletter, there should still be a few days left in the fundraising campaign.
They’ve got some cool rewards for your participation, so please consider supporting the anthology by donating to the Kickstarter here.
In the Flesh
On May 21st, I read from The Mind Worms at Brooklyn Books & Booze, a wonderful reading series created and hosted by my dear friend Randee Dawn that’s now in its third year.
It was a packed house. I read a different excerpt from the novel than I did at my book launch, and I’m happy to say it was very well received. The audience laughed and gasped in all the right places! Some even bought books from me afterward, which as any writer will tell you, is never a guarantee at readings!
Many thanks to Randee, to our fabulous venue Barrow’s Intense NY Tasting Room, and to my fellow readers Christina Cooke, M.M. De Voe, and Matthew Kressel, all of whom were fantastic!
* * *
On Sunday, June 2nd (the day after this newsletter materializes in your Inbox!), catch me at the book launch for my pal John C. Foster’s new novel, Hate House!
When: Sunday, June 2nd
Where: Shade Bar NYC, 241 Sullivan Street
Time: 6 PM - 9 PM
Joining me and John will be the authors Ben Francisco, the website-less Scott Adlerberg, and M.M. De Voe (again)!
There will be readings, a Q&A, and of course all the crepes and drinks Shade Bar is known for!
Visit the Facebook Event page for more information or if you’d like to RSVP.
* * *
This summer, you can also catch me at Necon 42, July 18th-21st, and NecronomiCon Providence, August 15th-18th.
Also, check out the next section for a special and very different appearance coming up in September!
Spooky Science Lab
When David Wellington and I first had this wacky idea for a podcast about strange-but-true science, we had no idea if anyone would listen, let alone enjoy it. So it’s been extremely gratifying to see our audience grow over time and to hear from listeners who are enjoying the show! Our thanks to each and every one of you!
Spooky Science Lab is available wherever you listen to your podcasts, or follow these easy links to the episodes that have gone live since my last newsletter:
Episode 006: Parasitoid Wasps, Part 2 / Black Hole Sun - In this episode, Nick discusses the horrors that parasitoid wasp larvae inflict on common orb-weaver spiders and Dave explains how there could be a black hole growing at the center of our sun -- a black hole we'll never see until it's too late!
Episode 007: Nick Puts Dave Inside a Chrysalis / Strange Star Roundup - In this episode, Nick changes Dave into a caterpillar and puts him in a chrysalis to study his intense, disturbing transformation into a butterfly and Dave takes us on a tour of our galactic neighborhood to introduce us to some of the strangest stars in the night sky!
Episode 008: The Mantis Shrimp / The Multiverse - Dive under the sea to encounter a crustacean assassin, the mantis shrimp! Nick explains why this creature has the best eyesight of any animal on the planet, and why it isn't actually a shrimp. Stick around to hear Dave discuss the Multiverse, which it turns out was not just invented for the movies but might actually be real -- and potentially the answer to one of the biggest questions in theoretical physics!
Episode 009: The Pistol Shrimp / Death in Space - Join Nick in a return to the watery deep to meet the creature with the fastest draw on Earth -- the pistol shrimp, a cannibalistic predator with a surprising secret! Then, Dave teleports Nick into outer space without a spacesuit to study exactly how and why you would die in the vast expanse between planets, and what would happen to your body over time. Don't worry, it's for science!
* * *
And now for something really cool!
Join me and Dave on Sunday, September 15th for Spooky Science Lab Live at Flying Fox Tavern in Ridgewood, Queens!
The show starts at 5 PM and admission is free!
Come eat, drink, and listen to a brand-new episode of Spooky Science Lab recorded live right before your very eyes! With an accompanying slideshow that will probably make you regret eating while you’re watching it!
That’s Sunday, September 15th, 5 PM, at Flying Fox Tavern in Ridgewood, Queens!
I’m really psyched about this and can’t wait to see you there!
Until next time!
Like what you see? Buy me a cup of coffee!
Curious about my books? Visit my website!
This issue of Up From the Fathoms is dedicated to my late father-in-law, Stephen C. Antopol.