My first Beneath the Lake broadcast kicks off today for Crystal Lake Publishing‘s Patreon subscribers! If you’d like to participate, consider pitching in $1.00. Details can be found here.
And if not, that’s cool, too. A recording of the broadcast will be made available to the public after we conclude our shenanigans. And believe me, folks, there will be shenanigans. I’ve seen what Brian Kirk is capable of.
The live broadcast begins at 5 PM EST. See you there!
Tonight I arrived at the end of a story I began almost two years ago. It’s called THE FINAL RECONCILIATION. It’s a King in Yellow story. The first draft is 32k words, and I’m stoked to have completed it. Now to celebrate with a drink. Cheers!
Okay, so . . . I’m going to cheat here. I already wrote a recap on Facebook earlier today, but I’m brain dead and physically/mentally/emotionally drained from the weekend, plus the 7-hour roadtrip home from Rhode Island. So here’s what I posted, along with some photos that I took. The TL;DR of NECON is this: It was awesome, and if you’re a writer, editor, or artist, you should really go at least once. I will definitely be going back.
And with that said, here’s my recap:
I’m somewhat functional after the long drive back from Rhode Island. Now that I’m home and can reflect on the experience, it all feels like a dream.
I got to meet one of my best friends for the first time in person at Necon.Amelia Bennett and I have known each other for a decade, and she’s been my editor for more than half that time. She’s awesome, and I’m blessed to know her.
So glad I got to see Nikki Nelson-Hicks again, after four long years (let’s not wait so long next time), meeting Her Dark Majesty Mercedes Murdock Yardley for the first time in person (who never failed to wake me for breakfast), and also hanging out with Kelsey Desrosiers (we will always have Tequila Jim). Brian Kirk is also a great guy (but don’t tell him I said so). Grateful to meet CA Suleiman, who also fell prey to the Staggering Squirrel. I will never forget watching talking llamas with April Hawks (Boat nectar!) or watching Nikki crush on Bracken MacLeod (who is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet). Talking music with my roomie Gardner Goldsmith, hugs with James A. Moore, a dinner discussion with Laura Anne Gilman, meeting Joe Hill in the breakfast line while in the haze of a hangover, and listening to Hal Bodner‘s stories of past Necons (and laundry woes) are things I will never forget. Thank you all for the experience.
As I told my wife on the phone Saturday night, I’ve been writing for most of my life, but Necon’s the first time I’ve actually felt like an author. I’m forever grateful and honored to be a part of the Necon family, and I can wait to see you all next year. Cheers, folks.’
Joe Mynhardt of Crystal Lake sent me a message last week. He’d just watched my impromptu broadcast about my two-book deal with his company and wanted to know if I’d be interested in hosting a broadcast/podcast (more on that in a sec) centered around Crystal Lake’s authors and news. Having dabbled in this sort of thing over the last couple of years with the Geeky Writer broadcasts, I jumped at the opportunity.
The details are these:
Official announcement:
As always, Crystal Lake is constantly expanding. In little over a month we will launch BENEATH THE LAKE, the official Crystal Lake Publishing podcast, hosted by none other than Todd Keisling.
This podcast will be live to Crystal Lake’s Patreon patrons (who can send in questions or comments on the show), and moved to YouTube a week later. More details to come.
I hope you’ll join us on this new and very exciting journey.
As stated above, if you support Crystal Lake on Patreon, you’ll be able to watch the shows live and interact with myself and the guests, asking questions and participating in whatever shenanigans we cook up. And if not, hey, no sweat–a recording of the show will be available to the public a week later. There’s also the possibility of a partnership with Project iRadio which we’re exploring. We’ve set up a Facebook page for the show, so give us a “like” if you’re so inclined.
But yeah, those are the details for now. We’re looking to host the show twice a month. And don’t worry, Geeky Writer friends, I’ll still be organizing those broadcasts as well. Along with working on the next ULT volume. And the third Monochrome novel. And holding down a day job . . .
Yeah. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
Anyway, that’s all for now. See you all at NECON!
TK
P.S. This most excellent drawing of Yours Truly was drawn by the incredibly talented Luke Spooner.
I’m calling this version of myself “Mr. Hush” due to my “quiet style.” (That’s for you, Gef.)
I’m quite busy these days, between finalizing the upcoming release of Tony Rapino’s collection GREETINGS FROM MOON HILL and working on stories for ULT Volume Two, but I wanted to drop a note here for any of you who may be in the Rhode Island area next weekend.
I’ll be attending the Northeastern Writers Conference (aka NECON) in Portsmouth next week, and just a few days ago I learned I’ll be on a panel discussing self-publishing. It’s at 9 AM next Friday, July 22nd. I’ll also be at the con all weekend, so if you’re around, feel free to stop by and say hello. (Just don’t be weird about it. That’s my job. )
This might be a long post. If so, I apologize. It’s entirely off-topic and personal, but it’s also something that I need to write, so . . . bear with me, if you will. (more…)
This is a huge day for the folks at Crystal Lake Publishing. Today’s the release day for their GUTTED anthology. Here’s more info:
From Bram Stoker Award-nominated publisher, Crystal Lake Publishing, and the editing duo who brought you the best-selling and critically acclaimed small-town Lovecraftian horror anthology Shadows Over Main Street, comes Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories—a disturbing journey into the beauty that rests inside the very heart of darkness.
Awe meets ache.
Terror becomes transcendence.
Regret gives way to rebirth.
Fifteen short stories and one poem span nearly every twisted corner of the horror and dark fiction genres:
A woman experiences an emotional reckoning inside a haunted house.
A father sees his daughter rescued after a cold case is solved, only to learn the tragic limits of his love.
A man awakens a vengeful spirit and learns the terrible price of settling scores.
A boy comes of age into awareness of a secret universe of Lovecraftian scale.
A young woman confronts the deathly price of existence inside a German concentration camp during the Holocaust.
And much, much more…
Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories features the most celebrated voices in dark fiction, as well as a number of exciting, new talents, including:
Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Paul Tremblay, John F.D. Taff, Lisa Mannetti, Damien Angelica Walters, Josh Malerman, Christopher Coake, Mercedes M. Yardley, Brian Kirk, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Amanda Gowin, Richard Thomas, Maria Alexander and Kevin Lucia.
With a foreword from Cemetery Dance magazine founder Richard Chizmar.
I mean, seriously, look at that roster. It’s a who’s-who of horror. Joe @ Crystal Lake worked his ass off to make this happen, so I encourage you all to go check it out. Not only will you be getting an incredible horror collection, you’ll also be supporting one of the finest horror publishers in the business.
