For Your Reading Pleasure

WHILE I'M AWAY

I'm going to be away for the next few days, but I've left something for you. Turn on a little spooky music, or just listen to the rain on the roof and the wind in the eaves, then curl-up in front of your computer and have a FREE juicy read:

FINE PRINT - PART 1,
by Fran Friel at The Horror Library



Fine Print - Part 2,
by Fran Friel at The Horror Library



Part three will be released at The Horror Library in August. I hope you enjoy the reading. Have a great week. See you soon!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

What Happens at Necon, Stays at Necon!






CAMP NECON!!

Okay, kids, it's almost that time. Just two more days. We're going to CAMP!!

I'm taking this time out of my camp-preparation schedule to share the giddy thrill of a kid that hasn't been to camp for at least a couple of decades. Now, that's WAY too long, but I'm going to do my best not to lose my head in the searing competition of the "Necon Olympic Events:" croquet, miniature golf, horseshoes, Hi-Lo Jack, darts...Oh, the joy of victory and the agony of defeat...or da' feet, whichever comes first.

Awaiting us are panels of brilliant writers, "saugies" (I'm sure I'll find out what they are in due time), movies and the famed Hawaiian Shirt Competition (mine is a solid contender for the ugliest!). And I've heard whispers of Jello shooters and Mojitos, but I have personally polished my martini shaker and I'm ready for duty!

So here's to my fellow campers, I can't wait to see you, meet you, trounce you in croquet (actually, I stink at it...so don't be too skerred)! To those of you who can't make it this year, I'll personally have a Necon 'Tini for you!

A visual depiction of my prediction for the weekend follows:

Fran on Opening Day:












Fran on Day 2 - The Party's Rollin':














Fran and friends on Day 3:













Fran on Day 4 - The Last Day :

















Fran on Monday - The Aftermath:













So there you have it, kids! I'll be missing in action for awhile, but I'll be back to blogging next week and I'll share a few pics and highlights of the 26th Northeastern Writers' Conference. But what I hear is that what happens at Necon, stays at Necon! *wink*

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

A Taste of the Feast!





THE FRESH MEAT MENU FOR JULY

Yes, campers, it's that time again! The Horror Library's menu of juicy morsels awaits you. Stop by for a nibble, a bite or feel free to gorge yourself on the FREE fiction, reviews and interviews. The Terrible Twelve and the CW's have been slaving away in the shadows all month to bring you a fine selection to sink your teeth into. The menu below offers a taste of the feast awaiting you in the horrid halls of The Horror Library. May I interest you in an...

Appetizer - Non-Fiction
R.J. Cavender - Keene vs Keene
"A *No Spoilers* review of Brian Keene’s THE RISING and THE CONQUEROR WORMS..."

Edmund R. Schubert - An Interview With Bruce Gehweiler
"Bruce Gehweiler is owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Marietta Publishing, a small-press publisher in Dallas, Georgia (yes, you read that right), that specializes in horror and mystery fiction..."

Main Course - Fiction
Boyd E. Harris - Atlantis Purging
"They hauled it up in the shrimp nets sometime between three and four pm. The medical examiner determined that it had been submerged for six to eight months, decomposing slowly in the chilly waters of the Atlantic..."

Fran Friel - Fine Print (Part 2)
"After weeks of searching for her, Duncan still had no idea where Alfie had gone with their daughter. As the weeks pressed on, to ease the loneliness he buried himself in his research, placing hundreds of anonymous inquiries about the contract on as many esoteric forums as he could find..."

Jason Beirens - Sorethumb Ch. 1
"This is what one would call a tease. It is bait, that will hopefully make you the readers want to see the rest of the graphic novel that will tell of the (after)life of George Tosh, who goes by the name Gosh. Gosh has died, but as explained here, he died before his time and has been sent back to live out the remainder of his life. Catch is, he was sent back to the wrong world..."

Ian R. Derbyshire - The Pillar of Flesh
"The pillar rose from the sands like a giant finger pointing toward the signs, bulges stuck out from it periodically. Even at distance John could see movement in the shadow of the great construct, camels..."

Clara Chandler- The Saxophone Man's Soul
"Saxophone Man sits in a lawn chair on the corner of Desperate and Lost. His instrument points to heaven as the music weeps for his tormented soul. He hauls himself to this corner daily seeking deliverance from his pain. His song is both a petition and a warning...

John Rowlands - Evil in the Desert
"The night before the caravan was to leave I sat outside at Tatti’s harbor bar prepared to gorge myself on the last good meal I would have for awhile. A pot-bellied, be-whiskered Tatti himself plunked down a roughly-hewn teak bowl in front of me for starters, filled with rich, deep yellow yogurt the consistency of thick cream, accompanied by plump green figs bursting with ripeness..."

Esteban Silvani - Take the Orange from the Sunset
"As the sunset cast its intricate collages across the farm, Bill tended his tomato patch.

"Could hardly believe those seeds sold to him by that smelly gypsy at the town fair could produce tomatoes of such ripeness in such a short spell. Crazy gypsy talked them up like they were some kind of super tomatoes. Promised Bill’s wife Henrietta, they’d 'increase her life.' Crazy gypsy..."

Curt Mahr - Scent of Death - Part II
"My mind began to detach further from reality. I looked down at my body in all its naked glory. I hadn’t put on any clothes because of the pain...."

Mark E Deloy - Grief is a Storm Colored Egg
"Ronald saw the old barn just off highway 231 and couldn’t resist exploring the rotten structure at the first opportunity. It was about a half a mile away from the house that his parents had just bought in Lafayette, Tennessee. He was ten, an age when exploring old barns, twisting creek beds, and pitch-black caves was practically a requirement..."

A.J. Brown - Bone Yard
"Slicing.

"The knife slipped through skin and muscle with ease, reaching bone with little resistance. Down the leg the knife slid, paring away flesh from the lifeless body of the easy kill..."

Dameion Becknell - Severed Ambition
"ADAM MCAULY ADDRESSING HIS BRETHREN ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD MAN BY THE FIRE.

"'Who here amongst you is brazen enough to proclaim personal omniscience? Who?! You each feign such enlightenment as to know exactly what that dead man's departing thoughts were. So who?...Yes, indeed I had deduced no differently. I should believe, then, that you each can refrain from casting thy proverbial stone...' "

Erik Williams - Senior Thesis
"'You’re insane, you know.”'

"Will smirked and patted his friend and roommate on the back. He’d heard this same comment from Jim several times the last couple days. At first it had bothered him and caused him to become defensive. Now Will just brushed it off. 'C’mon, Jim, don’t be such a pussy...' "

Dessert - The Slushpile Competition Winners

TOP PLACE SURVIVOR - John Irvine
Survivor - Brit Mandelo
Survivor - Dave Halpin
Survivor - Lincoln Crisler

I hope you've enjoyed the tasty teaser. If you get a chance to read, Fine Print, Part 1 and Part 2, please drop by here and leave me a comment if you liked it...or not. Now stop by for the full course of Fresh Meat. At The Horror Library, there's always room...for more bodies.

Bon Appetit!
Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Pimpin' Horror - Customer Reviews

My dear friend, Clara Chandler, has given me her kind permission to re-post this blog containing customer reviews from Amazon.com for the HORROR LIBRARY, VOL. 1, and THE BUTCHER SHOP QUARTET, both from Cutting Block Press.
Thanks, Clara!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




The Horror Library Anthology Volume I

...runs the entire spectrum of dark fiction...embraces the genre, paying diligence to the traditional spine tingler, the supernatural, the haunted, the dark satire and the gritty modern thriller. Thirty dark tales, each by a different story teller.

Customer Reviews:

.... truly fresh meat for the horror fan. In ten years time some of the writers whose work appears here will be known as masters of the genre, so shrink wrap your copy and remember, I told you so!

...the first anthology from R.J. Cavender and Cutting Block Press...[is] a great first run...look forward to volume II

...the stories are creepy and scary just like you'd expect. There's also a touch of black humor in several pieces...

...a good introduction to all the various types of horror available from [sic]todays up and coming authors...

Buy it, read it, bury it, it will come back to you in your dreams.

THE REMEMBERING COUNTRY by Kevin Filan: One of the best writers you've never heard of. This tale is bizarre...

BLACK BOX by Eric Stark: ...a superbly creepy story...really shines...

...writing reminds me a bit of Jack Ketchum and the work has the same effect. An original idea.

MOMMA'S SHADOW by Mark E. Deloy: ...great, creepy old school horror...

SHADOWS by D.X. Williams: ...twisted piece...

SKULL FARMERS by Matt Samet: ...nasty and seriously mental. Fans of psycho horror will foam over this one...

A SUNNY DAY TURNS DARK by Chris Perridas: ...dark humor...

THE MOTHER by jOhn lOverO: ...a unique take on vampires...

SURRENDER by Vince Churchill: ...If erotica is your thing...

WINGS WITH HOT SAUCE by Fran Friel: a touch of black humor...made me laugh outloud...

THE PUPPET SHOW by Rick J. Brown: ...apocolyptic sci-fi horror that sent chills up and down my spine. The imagery was like Gaiman meets Lovecraft meets Giger meets Dark City. Killer prose, great characterization-- a frighteningly brilliant piece...

Buy It Here






Butcher Shop Quartet: Volume I

(A collection of four novella-length tales. ~~CC)

Customer Reviews:

The Last of Boca Verde by Boyd E. Harris kicks off the Quartet by plunging the reader into the darkest jungles of Central America. It's obvious that Harris knows the region; his descriptive prose had me coughing from imagined forest fire smoke, jumpy from numerous creepy-crawlies, perspiring from imagined humidity, fatigued from the exhaustive horseback climb seven thousand feet up into the cloud forest itself. Then came the Congo Negro...

The House on the Hill by Australian author Clinton Green is a classic Greek tragedy about two men whose lives are forever changed after spending the night in a haunted house... young men's dreams of adventure and glory in battle turn into nightmares as they're exposed to the harsh realities of war. The twist at the end is just icing on the cake.

The Reconstruction of Kasper Clark by English author Michael Stone is a delightful romp through Hell, portrayed as a clinic specializing in plastic surgery... Stone teases, twists and tantalizes the reader from the first page to the last...

The Darkling Child by A.T. Andreas... ancient wisdom ignored at a heavy cost, weakness of the flesh, and self-betrayal... The author leads and misleads the reader through increasingly intricate interactions between personified Good and Evil... a twisted intimate dance of light and dark which redefines Faith and Providence.

Buy It Here


--from the blog of Clara Chandler, Chicken Scratches

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So there you have it folks, the latest news from The Horror Library print projects. Online, we also have a heaping helping of Fresh Meat fiction for July, now available for your reading pleasure - Free! Including Part 2 of my novella, Fine Print, ready for your perusal. Let me know what you think!

Also, I'll have some very good news about MAMA'S BOY to share with you soon. Stay tuned!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

STOKED!





The latest good news from the Horror Writers Association shows that the horror genre is alive and well. On June 17th, 2006 during a swanky affair at the Newark Hilton, The 2005 Bram Stoker Awards were bestowed on some very fine writers for superior achievement in their field. I've had the pleasure of reading many of the selections, and of getting to know some of the recipients and I think this year's list is well worth noting for your reading list.

2005 Bram Stoker Award Winners

Novel: (Tie)
Creepers by David Morrell
Dread in the Beast by Charlee Jacob

First Novel: Scarecrow Gods by Weston Ochse

Long Fiction: "Best New Horror" by Joe Hill

Short Fiction: "We Now Pause for Station Identification" by Gary Braunbeck

Fiction Collection: Twentieth Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Anthology: Dark Delicacies edited by Jeff Gelb and Del Howison

Nonfiction: Horror: Another 100 Best Books by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

Poetry Collection: (Tie)
Freakcidents by Michael A. Arnzen
Sineater by Charlee Jacob

Speciality Press Award: Necessary Evil Press

Richard Laymon (President's Award): Lisa Morton

Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Straub

As you can see, it's been a good year for horror, indeed! And no doubt the crop for the coming year will be superb. Congratulations to all of the 2005 Stoker winners, and good luck to wonderful writers of the horror genre for the 2006 ballots. It's bound to be some stiff competion. *wink*

And when you're done exploring the wonderful 2005 Stoker selections, get yourself on over to The Horror Library. Come Monday, you'll find the latest Fresh Meat selections for July, including Part 2 of Fine Print. Happy holidays!

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel

Muy Mal - MUY BUENO!






MUY MAL

I jumped in to check this project out right from the start and MUY MAL is rockin'! Stop by and visit Weston Ochse, John Urbancik and Michael Oliveri at Muy Mal to read some GREAT fiction...and it's FREE! And to let you know the quality of storytelling going on at Muy Mal, Weston Ochse just won The Horror Writers' Association's coveted Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel!!
Here's what the Muy Mal guys say about their project:

"So what is Muy Mal? We're glad you asked.

"Muy Mal is a shared world created by Michael Oliveri, John Urbancik, and Weston Ochse. It's a world very much like our own, similar in time and place, but just about thirty degrees off of reality. This is a world in which magic never ceased to exist; a world that is a very bad place.

"Each writer will explore their own corner of this world, though readers can expect some crossover between tales. Characters may make cameo appearances, for example, and major events will affect every story. This is not collaboration so much as it is cooperation, and readers will be welcome to witness as much or as little of the world a they see fit.

"Each story will be serialized, and each writer may spread their work across several serialized pieces at a time. An overall title serves as an umbrella for each writer's work, and each individual tale will carry its own title as it unfolds chapter by chapter. These titles are:

Chronicles of the Black Bishop by Weston Ochse
Asphalt & Alchemy by Michael Oliveri
Seeker by John Urbancik

"Muy Mal is also an experiment in the delivery of online fiction. Thanks to the power and flexibility of WordPress, the stories will be accessible in a familiar, blog-like structure where each new chapter will appear at the top of each writer's section. Similarly, links will be available so readers may drill down and focus on specific serials. There will also be RSS feeds for each author so readers can pull content directly to their feed reader rather than visit the main site.

"Finally, Muy Mal's contents are Free. All of the work posted to the site is licensed under a Creative Commons license, specifically the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 license. In English, this means readers are welcome to download and/or print the stories out to their heart's content. Give copies to friends and neighbors! We don't care, so long as the work is presented with bylines of the respective writer, it's not altered, and not used commercially." --From Muy Mal

I hope you enjoy, Muy Mal. Be sure to tell 'em, Fran Friel sent ya'!

And when you're done with the Muy Mal guys, stop by for the latest offerings of Fresh Meat for June from my T12 colleagues, including my own story - part one of Fine Print. As always, the reading is FREE at The Horror Library.

Wickedly Yours,
Fran Friel