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by Todd

UGLY LITTLE THINGS: A Primer.

December 1, 2013 in Blog by Todd

So, we’re a month away from a new year, and I’ve spent this weekend thinking about how 2013 has been rather rough for me. I’m usually not one for resolutions, but after the shitty year I’ve had, I think I’m allowed to make one resolution a month early. My resolution is to make 2014 a better year than 2013 in all ways: physically, mentally, emotionally, philosophically, and (hopefully) monetarily. So I’m going to kick off the next year with a new fiction series which, until October, was just going to be a collection of short stories.

Allow me to introduce my ugly little things . . .

ULT Announcement

To make this straightforward, here’s an FAQ I put together just for you.

What is the UGLY LITTLE THINGS series?

UGLY LITTLE THINGS (or ULT for simplicity) is a collective name for my short stories, intended to fill the gaps between my novels (which, as you know, tend to take a while). These stories are not what you’re used to seeing from me. They are more visceral, raw, experimental, and personal. In other words, they’re ugly.

In which genre can these stories be classified?

Speculative fiction. Horror. Suspense. In one specific case, a story is pseudo-memoir, or what the more civilized literary elite would call a roman à clef. If you read anything by Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, or Neil Gaiman, you’ll probably like these stories.

How are these stories being released?

These stories will be released digitally on the Amazon Kindle platform to start. Nook releases are not out of the question.

Cool. How much?

We’re pricing these based on story length. Prices will range between 99 cents to $2.99 USD.

What is the release schedule? 

Right now we’re aiming at the third of every month, starting in January. Here’s the full schedule:

RADIO FREE NOWHERE – 1/3/14

WHEN KAREN MET HER MOUNTAIN – 2/3/14

SAVING GRANNY FROM THE DEVIL – 3/3/14

UGLY LITTLE THINGS* – 4/3/14

*Title subject to change.

What happened to the limited hardcover edition you were planning to release next spring? 

That’s still happening, but the release has been pushed back due to this new approach with the individual stories. Look for details in May 2014. And no, it won’t just be a compilation of the stories mentioned above. I’ve got something special in store for you. Just wait and see.

So . . . what happened to the last Monochrome novel?

Ask me again in a year.

I think that’s about it for now. If there’s a question you have that isn’t covered here, hit me up in the comments.

Until then,

TK

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by Todd

MISERIA’S CHORALE Available Now!

November 27, 2013 in Blog by Todd

miseria

The new horror anthology MISERIA’S CHORALE was published today by Forgotten Tomb Press. It not only contains one of my stories, but a ton of fiction by this enormous list of talented folks:

In Green Remembered by Christopher Nadeau
Worm Garden by Patrick Lacey
Becoming The Beast by Christian A. Larsen
Sowing The Seeds by Bear Weiter
Hiding by Pete Aldin
Happy Thoughts by Nick Kimbro
When Karen Met Her Mountain by Todd Keisling
One by Cameron Suey
Asrai by Carmen Tudor
Ripped From Heaven by Patrick Tumblety
The Eye That Ate The Sky by Alexandre Mandarino
The Catacomb Enigma by Jon Michael Kelley
From Suicide Station by Adam Millard
The Cherry Tree by James S. Dorr
Because The Night Is Dark And Full Of Monsters by Sergio Palumbo
The Story by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
Choosing My Confession by Meghan Arcuri
Visit by Richard Godwin
Bedfordshire by Peter Crowther
The Face Of Death by Paul Kane
The Wind by Ryan Neil Falcone
Tomb Of The Initiate by Aaron J. French
Thrall by Richard Farren Barber
Evacuation by Jay Wilburn
The Gatehouse by Anna Taborska
Exit To Dove’s Tail by Ken Goldman
Motel Impression by Michael Thomas-Knight
Kicks by Carl Barker
Cracks by Jon Ingold
Give Me Convenience by Shaun Meeks
Red Harvest by K. Trap Jones
King Of A Distant Star by Tim Jeffreys
Trauma Children by Lucy Taylor
Cicada by Caren Gussoff
A Feeble Gleam Of Stars by R.W.W. Greene
Letters by Christina Murphy
The Watching Room by Glen Damien Campbell
Destruction: A Plague Story by Bruce Memblatt
What Lurks Below by Peter Baltensperger
The Shadow On The Hill by Peter Mark May
That Sinking Feeling by Lance Manion
Tug by Douglas J. Ogurek
The Banquet by Fred Skolnik
Formaldehyde Fairies by Alana I. Capria
Lily In The Ether by Christopher Hivner
The Girl Beneath by Dy Loveday
Extremity by B.T. Joy
Instantaneous by Christopher David Rosales

The book is available on Kindle for $4.99 or as a massive 600+ page paperback. If you’re in the mood for some new horror fiction, make this your first stop!

TK

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by Todd

Announcement #2: RADIO FREE NOWHERE

November 26, 2013 in Blog by Todd

Coming January 3rd, 2014.

The water’s fine this time of year . . . 


RADIO FREE NOWHERE

Somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia, a strange radio signal broadcasts a siren’s song, luring unsuspecting travelers to a forgotten lake. What lurks beneath those placid waters? Ashley and Conrad are about to find out in Todd Keisling’s latest ugly little thing, RADIO FREE NOWHERE.

Available from Precipice Books on Amazon Kindle in January 2014. Also available in the audio anthology EXQUISITE DEATH, produced by In Ear Entertainment.

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by Todd

MISERIA’S CHORALE: Full Cover Reveal

November 25, 2013 in Blog by Todd

Editor David Nell unveiled the full cover spread for MISERIA’S CHORALE, a new anthology from Forgotten Tomb Press which features my new story, WHEN KAREN MET HER MOUNTAIN. According to his Facebook posts, the files for the original cover which I’d posted before were lost in a crash, and he had to recreate it in a matter of hours. I think that’s damn impressive:

miseria

 

I’ll post again once the release date is announced. Can’t wait to get a print copy of this one in my hands!

TK

 

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by Todd

Book Chatter: Under the Bus Edition

November 23, 2013 in Blog, Interviews by Todd

Last night I was a guest on the 63rd episode of Book Chatter, hosted by Stacey Cochran and RJ Keller. Joining me were fellow authors Anthony J. Rapino, Mercedes M. Yardley, and Eryk Pruitt, and we had a grand ‘ol time. As you’ll see, we had a lot of fun–even as everyone took their turns throwing me under the proverbial bus. Just watch. You’ll see:

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by Todd

Shock Totem: The Forgotten Interview

November 23, 2013 in Blog, Interviews by Todd

So about two months ago, author Mercedes M. Yardley interviewed me for Shock Totem Publications. Problem is, I completely forgot about it until today, and . . . you know what? I’ll just shut up. Here’s a snippet from the interview:

MMY: What’s the draw to writing a series vs. a standalone work? Do you do standalone as well? How do you keep the series fresh?

TK: That’s a good question and I don’t have a straight answer for you. I’ve written standalone novels before, but the Monochrome books are my first real series. I find it’s interesting to watch a character develop over the course of multiple titles rather than a single work. It’s liberating in some ways, and constraining in others: liberating in that I don’t have to tie up loose ends right away (which leaves a sense of mystery, keeping things fresh for the reader), but constraining in that some minor plot detail written in the first book can come back to bite me on the ass in the final book (which makes me cry). Those loose ends that were left untied in the first book always have a way of becoming tangled up in your plot later on, and fixing them always makes for a fun exercise in problem-solving.

It’s just a lot to juggle at one time, and for the third book I’ve started keeping track of extensive notes and details in Scrivener. You know, so minor character names don’t change halfway through, or so one person’s eyes don’t suddenly change from blue to brown.

Overall, I’m enjoying the experience, but I’m also looking forward to being done with the series so I can work on other ideas. Honestly, I think I prefer writing standalone fiction, and I don’t see myself doing another series any time soon—not without planning it, first.

And here’s the whole damn thing.

TK

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by Todd

TOMORROW NIGHT!

November 14, 2013 in Blog by Todd

miserias-chorale

Heads up, folks.

Tomorrow night I’m broadcasting live to YouTube via Google+ Hangouts. What’s the occasion? I’m reading my new story, WHEN KAREN MET HER MOUNTAIN, which is being published by Forgotten Tomb Press in their latest horror anthology, MISERIA’S CHORALE. This is also one of the stories from UGLY LITTLE THINGS, so if you’re itching for some new material, now’s your chance.

The broadcast kicks off Friday, November 15th at 9 PM EST. I will be posting the live YouTube stream on the Facebook Event page, Twitter, and from my Google+ account.

Here’s an FAQ I put together for you:

Do I need to RSVP on the Google+ or Facebook Event pages?

  • No, but you’ll make me happy if you do. :-)

Do I have to be a Google+ member?

  • No, you do NOT have to be a Google+ member to watch the live stream on YouTube.

Can I join the Google+ hangout?

  • Yes! However, if you’re being loud or consistently interrupt me, I may mute you and/or kick you out. This is my party and I’ll kick if I want to.

What’s the new story about? Does it have anything to do with the Monochrome trilogy?

  • No, this story has nothing to do with the Monochrome trilogy. It’s way more extreme than what you’re used to seeing from me. Here’s what I posted on the Facebook Event page earlier this week:
This is a story about a woman who suffers a psychotic break while trying to save her husband from a cult in the Arizona desert. It is quite possibly the most violent, gory piece of fiction I’ve ever written (to date), and if it were a film, it would definitely receive a hard “R” rating.

What sort of content and/or language should I expect?

  • Gore. Extreme violence. Sexual situations (but not explicit). “Bad” language. Religious implications (real Old Testament stuff). Fire raining down from the heavens. Human sacrifice. A thousand years of darkness. Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria.

How long will you broadcast?

  • The story is approximately 10k words long, which may take me around an hour to read (give or take). I will take about 10 to 15 minutes beforehand to introduce myself, the story, and plug the new anthology before I begin the reading.

Will you do a Q&A afterward?

  • Maybe, if enough people are in attendance. The YouTube stream will have a chat bar (but you will need to be logged in to participate). If you join the Hangout, I may also take questions there. Bottom line: If you’re up for it, I’m up for it—but nothing is set in stone.

Are we going to have a good time?

  • No. We’re going to have a decidedly bad time.

That’s about it. If you have a question that I didn’t cover, post your comment here and I’ll try to answer as best I can. To recap: Tomorrow night (Friday, 11/15, 9 PM EST). I will post the broadcast links on Facebook / Google+ / and Twitter.

I hope you can make it. I’m looking forward to it!

Best

TK

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by Todd

Miseria’s Chorale

November 5, 2013 in Blog by Todd

A while back I mentioned one of the stories from the ULT collection, WHEN KAREN MET HER MOUNTAIN, had been accepted for publication in a new horror anthology published by Forgotten Tomb Press.

miserias-chorale

Miseria’s Chorale: Volume One

Well, I have some news: the anthology is currently in its editing phase and is due out later this month. It will be available digitally and in print (at a whopping 609 pages). I will post price points and links once the anthology is live. For now, here is the full roster:

Finalised Table of Contents:

In Green Remembered by Christopher Nadeau
Worm Garden by Patrick Lacey
Becoming The Beast by Christian A. Larsen
Sowing The Seeds by Bear Weiter
Hiding by Pete Aldin
Happy Thoughts by Nick Kimbro
When Karen Met Her Mountain by Todd Keisling
One by Cameron Suey
Asrai by Carmen Tudor
Ripped From Heaven by Patrick Tumblety
The Eye That Ate The Sky by Alexandre Mandarino
The Catacomb Enigma by Jon Michael Kelley
From Suicide Station by Adam Millard
The Cherry Tree by James S. Dorr
Because The Night Is Dark And Full Of Monsters by Sergio Palumbo
The Story by Aurelio Rico Lopez III
Choosing My Confession by Meghan Arcuri
Visit by Richard Godwin
Bedfordshire by Peter Crowther
The Face Of Death by Paul Kane
The Wind by Ryan Neil Falcone
Tomb Of The Initiate by Aaron J. French
Thrall by Richard Farren Barber
Evacuation by Jay Wilburn
The Gatehouse by Anna Taborska
Exit To Dove’s Tail by Ken Goldman
Motel Impression by Michael Thomas-Knight
Kicks by Carl Barker
Cracks by Jon Ingold
Give Me Convenience by Shaun Meeks
Red Harvest by K. Trap Jones
King Of A Distant Star by Tim Jeffreys
Trauma Children by Lucy Taylor
Cicada by Caren Gussoff
A Feeble Gleam Of Stars by R.W.W. Greene
Letters by Christina Murphy
The Watching Room by Glen Damien Campbell
Destruction: A Plague Story by Bruce Memblatt
What Lurks Below by Peter Baltensperger
The Shadow On The Hill by Peter Mark May
That Sinking Feeling by Lance Manion
Tug by Douglas J. Ogurek
The Banquet by Fred Skolnik
Formaldehyde Fairies by Alana I. Capria
Lily In The Ether by Christopher Hivner
The Girl Beneath by Dy Loveday
Extremity by B.T. Joy
Instantaneous by Christopher David Rosales

Stay tuned,

TK

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by Todd

Save the Pod!

October 31, 2013 in Blog by Todd

I wanted to blog about this over the weekend, but . . . well, you know. I had other things on my mind. Anyway! I’m not the only who needs assistance right now. My favorite horror podcast, Pseudopod, needs our help. They rely on donations and subscriptions to pay for production costs, pay their narrators, and most importantly, pay the writers who provide the content. In fact, they currently pay writers $100 a story (which is awesome).

Unfortunately, Escape Artists (Pseudopod’s parent company) is in danger of closing at the end of the year. This means no more Pseudopod, no more great horror stories, and one less paying venue for small-time writers like myself. We can’t let this happen. I listen to Pseudopod religiously (even though they rejected my story way back in 2007 due to a bizarre coincidence*).

pseudopod300x300

Feed the Pod! Donate!

Anyway, I don’t want to see a good thing die. If you’ve got a few bucks or can go without a fancy overprice coffee for a day, consider sending it their way. I pitched $10 into the hat because that’s all I can spare right now, but I hope to give more in the future. So, let’s keep Pseudopod alive and writhing–at least for a while. They haven’t published me yet.

TK

*I came this close to having my story TOOTHACHE accepted by Pseudopod back in ’07, but the rejected it because . . . well, read for yourself. Here’s an email from the editor, Ben Phillips:

Thank you for sending us “Toothache”.  We were greatly entertained by the style and concept, and would likely have accepted it except for a bizarre coincidence:  we just purchased a story called “Toothache” from an author named James Maddox, also about a small creature that climbs out of a painful cavity to torment the protagonist.  I have absolutely no explanation for this bizarre turn of events, but I will say that I sincerely hope you’ll be encouraged to submit again.  Sometimes this type of thing just happens.

I did submit again, but it was a story that wasn’t as good (nor was it really horror), and by that point I was caught up in writing TLM. Yeah. Such is life. 

 

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by Todd

Engineering Reality.

October 30, 2013 in Blog by Todd

I’m taking a break from the publishing posts for a couple of days (video blog incoming this weekend!), so I thought I’d plug a new audiobook by my good friend, Anthony J. Rapino. That book is called REALITY ENGINEERS, and it’s on sale now from In Ear Entertainment.

reality-engineers-446x446

Artwork by Michelle Harvey

You may recall In Ear from earlier this summer. They’re the same company that produced the audio anthology, EXQUISITE DEATH, which you can find on the sidebar to your right.

Here’s what I had to say on Facebook last night after finishing the story:

Tonight I finished the new audiobook REALITY ENGINEERS by Anthony Rapino. I emailed him earlier this week (I was about halfway through it at the time) and told him I found it “delightfully bizarre.” I still stand by that statement. If you like dark, funny horror akin to John Dies at the End, you should check out this novella. You should also check out his debut novel, SOUNDTRACK TO THE END OF THE WORLD, while you’re at it. And his collection, WELCOME TO MOON HILL (a small town in Eastern Pennsylvania which is also the setting of REALITY ENGINEERS). Do it. Because I said so.

And there you have it. It’s fun, it’s dark, it’s gory, it’s incredibly weird like a Twilight Zone episode, and if you’re in the US, it’s only $6.40 direct from In Ear. Downloads come in mp3 and mp4 format for easy compatibility with your favorite media player.

Go check it out!

TK

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