I've been mighty busy during the past few months - so busy that I
wouldn't mind having two or three Ron-Clones around to help with the
workload (any mad scientists out there?) Anyway, here's a few upcoming
projects that have been completed or are still in the works...
Hell Hollow, my first novel since the publication of Blood Kin
in 1996, has been delivered to Cemetery Dance Publications after a
thorough polishing. This book was originally scheduled for release by
Zebra Books before they shut down their horror line back in the
mid-90's. Now it will finally be available to readers in a limited
hardcover edition.
Hell Hollow is a coming-of-age story in which four friends - Keith,
Rusty, Maggie, and Chuck - face a long-forgotten evil which lurks in the
dark heart of Hell Hollow. Doctor Augustus Leech, a sinister medicine
show man, has seemingly risen from the dead and has a bone to pick with
the good citizens of Harmony, Tennessee. It is up to the four children
to end Leech's hellish evil once and for all... that is, if they
themselves can escape the nightmare that Leech has subjected them to!
We are hoping for a release of Hell Hollow toward the end of 2007, but
it may be more like early to mid-2008, due to a delay on my part. The
artist for the book has yet to be announced, but I do have one in
particular in mind...one of the best in the business. I'll keep you up
to date as to developments on this project.
My first short story collection, Midnight Grinding & Other Twilight
Terrors, is now in the works. I am currently gathering and polishing a
sampling of my best short fiction for the Cemetery Dance edition, which
should see print sometime in 2008. It will contain 32 stories that
appeared in the 80's and 90's small press and in major anthologies such
as Cold Blood, Shock Rock, Hot Blood,
Borderlands, and Dark at Heart.
Two previously unpublished tales---"Impressions in Oak" and
"Devil's Creek"---will be included in the roster, and each
story in the collection will begin with a short commentary by myself. I
will be including an introduction and afterward as well. I hope ya'll
have as much fun reading Midnight Grinding as I've had putting it
together.
Also from Cemetery Dance:
An upcoming issue of Cemetery Dance Magazine will feature my first
published short story since my retirement. "Grandma's Favorite Recipe"
is the tale of a little, old grandmother with dark secrets and even
darker intentions. It is also an introductory story to Hell Hollow.
Along with the story, the issue will have my first interview in ten
years, conducted by Shannon Riley.
Undertaker's Moon (formerly published as Moon of the
Werewolf by Zebra in 1991) will be released in a special limited
hardcover edition sometime in 2008. This tale of a
clan of renegade Irish werewolves in the hills of Tennessee has been a
favorite with my fans for years, and now it will be presented as no
werewolf novel has been presented before. The edition will feature
hairy-scary illustrations by Alex McVey (in my opinion, the best artist
in the business today!), as well as other special features. A companion
chapbook is also planned: The Spawn of Arget Beithir (The
Silver Beast) -- a short prequel to the novel, which explores Crom
McManus' exploits in ancient Ireland.
Note: We have also discussed doing other limited editions of my earlier
novels, such as The Dark'un (Something Out There) and Burnt
Magnolia (The Possession), releasing one every year or so. More
details to come.
Two new short stories "The Abduction" and "Mass
Appeal" will be featured in an upcoming Post Mortem anthology,
along with an interview conducted by Mark Hickerson. I also urge you to
check out tales of terror by two of the horror genre's rising
stars...Mark Hickerson and Robert McCoy. "Loud Shadows" by
Hickerson and "For a Good Time" by McCoy - their premiere
publications - are top notch and will leave you howling for more. Post
Mortem will also feature work by Jason Brannon and others. This
hardcover edition will be released sometime in 2008.
I've recently made a deal for the publication of my
long/short story Flesh-welder in a special chapbook edition.
Flesh-welder---a post-apocalyptic horror tale set in war-torn
Texas---was originally published in Noctulpa: Journal of Horror way
back in 1990, but was hardly read due to poor circulation. Now it will
be available to readers once again in this limited chapbook. This
looks to be a 2008 release as well.
So it looks like the year 2008 may be a red-letter year for Southern
Horror! Stay tuned for more to come!
