OFF THE RECORD is here

I imagine you're already seeing this all over the interwebs this morning, but I want to mention it anyway. The new anthology, OFF THE RECORD, is finally here, available at Amazon for us Yanks and at Amazon UK for the rest of the civilized world.

I've read about half the stories so far, and I can tell you without hesitation, this is one kick-ass compilation. Put together by Luca Veste, it's a set of stories based on song titles, and it's all over the board as far as musical taste is concerned-- everything from Micheal Jackson (Benoit Lelievre's "Blood on the Dance Floor" to Velvet Underground (Matthew Funk's "Venus in Furs" to ABBA (Nigel Bird's "Super Trouper") to the Stooges (my own "I Wanna Be Your Dog").

Oh, and there's tons more. But here's the best part: it's for charity, dig. All proceeds (after the money-eyes take their cut) go to children's literacy charities on either side of the Atlantic.

You really should buy this, honestly. A ton of great stories here, in a wide variety of genres, and all for a really excellent cause.

Writers from the Dank, Dark Underbelly

Some stuff worth noting:

Jason Michel, the mad genius behind PULP METAL, has put together a 'best of' from that twisted magazine, and it's now available at Smashwords. It's called LAUGHING AT THE DEATH GRIN!, a title that really sums up Pulp Metal's attitude quite nicely. I have a story in it; so does Paul Brazill, Danny Hogan, Ian Ayris, Chris Rhatigan, B.R. Stateham, and seven other messed-up individuals from the dank underbelly of genre fiction. For the first few weeks, it's gonna be a measly .99 cents.

And coming soon, look for OFF THE RECORD, the new anthology of all-original material being put together by Luca Veste. The premise is stories inspired by rock/pop song titles, and the line-up is a who's who of talent from the Noir and Horror Undergrounds. Some of them: Me, Ray Banks (yeah, I said Ray Banks!), Patti Abbott, Court Merrigan, R. Thomas Brown, Nigel Bird, Paul Brazill, Thomas Pluck, Matthew C. Funk, Helen Fitzgerald, and man, the talent just keeps on coming... all proceeds from OFF THE RECORD will be going to charities on both sides of the Atlantic, so keep your eyes open for it.

Aside from the two anthology appearances, I have a couple short stories coming down the pike very soon, if you're interested. More info about them later...

READING FOR THE SICK MIND

If you like sharp fiction about bad, bad people doing bad, bad things, man.. there is much to look forward to in the next month or so.

Luca Veste is putting together a new anthology called OFF THE RECORD, a collection of stories inspired by favorite rock'n'roll songs and penned by some of the best underground writers currently working... and me, too.

And Jason Michel, the mad-with-power dictator behind Pulp Metal, has a "best of" in the works called LAUGHING AT THE DEATH GRIN, which will include Paul Brazill, Chris Rhatigan, Ian Ayris, Danny Hogan, and yours truly.

OFF THE RECORD and other stuff

Just a quick note-- I'd planned on starting a new series of weekly posts today on the great writers of hard-boiled and nor lit from the '50's and early '60's. But I'm putting that off for another couple of weeks, at least. I've wound up unexpectedly busy these last few weeks with writing stuff, and to be honest, as much as I love posting here at Psycho-Noir, fiction writing takes priority.

The good news (good news if you like reading my fiction, that is) is that over the remainder of the year you'll be seeing three or four stories from me at various places. One that I can mention right now is a new anthology being put together by Luca Veste, called OFF THE RECORD. About 30 writers are coming together for it, and the proceeds will go to children's literacy charities. So... well-done, Luca, and I'm happy to be part of it.

Information on the other projects as they roll out.

I WILL get to the series on hard-boiled/noir writers as soon as time permits.

And just one more quick thing, while I'm thinking of it-- a thank you. The warm responses I've received to THE BASTARD HAND and DIG TEN GRAVES has been a real antidote to that crippling self-doubt that plagues most writers at one time or another. The positive reviews and kind words have left me feeling that maybe I'm doing something right. I feel very, very good about my work these days. Again, thank you.

...and that's as sentimental as you're gonna see me get, so don't get used to it, fuckers.