Last week I had the pleasure and good fortune to be interviewed by Anya Martin for The Outer Dark podcast. The Outer Dark is one of the best places to find great conversations about what is going on with the contemporary weird from the widest possible array of voices. Anta and her co-conspirator Scott Nicolay also organize the annual Outer Dark Symposium of the Greater Weird where weird artists and fans can gather face-to-face for readings and panels and meals and mind melding. I attended the San Jose symposium in 2018, and I am on the program for the next one that takes place this March in Atlanta.
The interview with me appears on Episode 064 of the podcast, which begins with some updates about the preparation for the symposium, as well as Gordon White’s insightful reviews of two new works in the field of the weird. The description on the Outer Dark page will give you some idea of just how rollicking and far-ranging our discussion was. I hope you enjoy!
It’s been a while since I shared anything with you, and for that I apologize! Things have been happening, but we all know how it can be during the holidays. Some of you may even remember that the major impetus for my sprint to complete the initial draft of my second novel was that I was set to begin a day job in mid-November, so that has been keeping me busy, as well. I wanted to pop out of winter obscurity to share a couple of things with you.
The cover of Final Grrrl #5 as envisioned by J Owen Schultz and his daughter, Peyton.
The first is a simply astounding piece of fan art. One of my “longest-serving friends,” J Owen Schultz, created this complete hard copy edition of Final Grrrl #5 from Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows. J enlisted the help of his daughter Peyton in completing a lot of the art that you can find within.
I would have loved if the published version of Memento Mori: The Fathomless Shadows had a fully graphic rendering of Billie Jacobs’s zine as well as a facsimile copy of Tina’s letter to C.C. at the end. I think that kind of design would enhance the reader’s experience. But it might be even better to have these versions coming from readers of the novel instead.
Just look at the care and creativity here!
This is just a sample, of course. You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m hoarding the rest for myself.
I’m excited to report that I just completed an interview with Anya Martin and The Outer Dark podcast (this is a link to the entire series; my interview will be up in a couple of days), and I will be sure to post it here and elsewhere when it is available. If you haven’t already looked into the Outer Dark, and you like weird fiction, I highly recommend that you dive in. They host discussions on the cutting edge of the contemporary weird. I attended their second symposium in San Jose in 2018, and I am on the program for this spring’s iteration in Atlanta.
I’ll also be posting soon about my new writing space. When we moved to central PA this summer, Christina and I both had the opportunity to carve out new spaces in which to work at home. Mine is very nearly complete, and I want to show it to you, mostly because I’m very proud of it. It’s already been the site of some very satisfying work, and I can’t wait for more.
